Cupid ain't just love arrows
by Bijou Lee
Summary: Diana is tired of waiting for Bruce. She turns to Cupid for help. But will Diana use such dangerous means to retrieve what she thought she had lost? And will Batman let her?
1. Love confuses

Hello, people! Jagan Lady here. This is the first time I've ever written a story under the Justice League category… and I sincerely hope that y'all would find it amusing. XD So…

Enjoy!

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With a graceful 360-degree turn, she was stripped of her usual battle dress. Without a moment to lose, she promptly slid into the misty, foamy bath, sighing with exhausted relief as the warm water soothed her raw, bruised muscles.

The scent of freshly plucked lavender and rose petals alleviated the beginnings of a migraine—not that she ever got sick or anything, but a temporary headache occasionally did arise once in awhile—and she purred with serene respite as she closed her eyes.

Her mind instantly drifted into the day's activities; right before the crack of dawn, she and a few leaguers were sent to South Africa to fight against a mutated, man-eating Chameleon—yes, a Chameleon. Severely strange as it was, she had to evade its poisonous discharge of snake venom; its animalistic rage attributed to a wild tiger's; and a build that rose to more than half of Superman's height. It was a nasty sight and she had to pound its fanged, slimy jaws numerous times before it accepted defeat.

The arrests were made after the creature was killed, of course. Apparently a secret science association deeply hidden in the hardly known depths of Madagascar was creating creatures that were obviously considered as outcasts of the animal gene pool; they derived genes from different kinds of animals and implanted them into one caged living _experiment_.

It was unbearably cruel. But there was nothing else to do for those poor beings except incarcerating them under government jurisdiction… and Hera knows what the sneaky, pompous system has in store for those demented animals.

_Sweet Hera_, she was beginning to believe in almost every assumption the Question has been telling them… not that he shouldn't be taken lightly. Nevertheless…

When it was over, she was called to Star City to brawl against the likes of KG Beast, Giganta, and Tala all at the same time.

Just the thought of the combat aggravated her nerves and she had to think of something else.

Bruce. Slightly frustrated with herself, Diana slumped lower into the frothy water, leaving her nose and eyes still soap-free.

She knew she ended the _relationship _long time ago, long before their base on earth was established. The break-up was tacit, mutual, professional. There were no tears or heartbreaks that occurred afterwards. It was for the best… But why…

Shaking her head, Diana rose to her feet, leaving her body exposed to the chilling air. She quickly slipped out of the bathroom, a towel barely wrapping her soaked body when she glanced at the clock's face and saw that her shift was entirely over. She stood erect at the foot of the bed, her long, muscular arms poised at her sides as she thought about what to do before midnight. Sleep was the last to-do-thing stuck in her mind and she mused that a night's stroll in the park might further refresh her.

Decided, she went to her closet and pulled on a blue halter-top and snug jeans. She let her black mane fall off her shoulders as she slipped on two-inch heels that accentuated her height, no doubt.

Diana didn't bother on checking herself in the mirror before stepping out of the confines of her room. She made sure that the lock was engaged, and then she walked briskly toward the elevator, nodding amiably as Hawk and Dove sauntered past her.

She nearly punched the close button when a gloved hand reached into the compartment. She smiled when he grimly nodded her presence. When the doors closed and partial darkness consumed them, Diana virtually looked down at him.

"Shift's over?" she asked.

"Yes." Batman stood motionless, didn't even turn to her as he spoke.

Diana held back a sigh and stared instead at the closed elevator doors, light flashing intermittently as they descended each floor.

He stopped calling her 'Princess' ever since their obscure, fleeting affair was over. She missed the way his voice exhaled a tint of care every time he uttered the word 'Princess'. To any ordinary human or supernatural colleague, it may have sounded emotionless, just another _nom de plume _the Batman instigated, but it somehow harbored an edge of affection in it whenever it came out of his lips.

In spite of herself, she sighed heavily.

Hearing this, Batman tilted his head to her. "Diana?"

She bit back her feeling of disappointment and nodded. _It's over. It's over. It's all over._ "I'm all right. Just tired from the day's happenings. You wouldn't believe how advance yet cruel humankind is toward animals and their surroundings." Her tone held no enthusiasm over her words, which Batman found quite unusual of her.

When she had a say on anything, it was always filled with devotion and ardor. If Diana was ruler of planet earth, Batman was sure that all criminals would be exiled to another squalid planet. Otherwise, they would be sent off to Hades pronto if they frequently got on her nerves.

Batman knew her too well. When she was decided on anything, that was it. No questions asked. Why do you think Shayera and Diana never became as intimate as before? She was stubborn as hell, and when she was mad, well, better run for your life if one highly values it.

For the first time in two weeks, Batman smiled. Unfortunately, Diana didn't see this for the reason that he was facing front.

When they were nearing ground floor, Diana unintentionally asked, "Want to walk together?"

Batman turned to her, somewhat slanting his head upwards, his eyebrows knitted together as if she was speaking an alien language.

When the doors slid open, he stepped out, stopping abruptly before turning left to his parked Batmobile.

"Diana… you know as well as I do that we can't. I'm going to be busy tonight. I still need to check on Gotham's rank, unkempt streets…" Bruce paused for a moment. He turned to face Diana, and heedless to her frustrated look, he continued, "Besides, what would the media think if they see Bruce Wayne _hanging out_ with Wonder Woman?"

Highly infuriated, she scoffed, "Yes. What would they think of that?" She stomped past him but stopped a few meters away. "It's not a date. Just a friendly walk with a friend if you think I've implied more than sheer camaraderie."

Diana continued walking, almost flew away but she checked herself before doing so. She didn't want to look either hurt or pitiful. So, she straightened her back and gracefully made her way out of the gargantuan, venerated edifice that was also known as the Justice League headquarters.

When she parked herself at the street opposite the building, she dared look back, and saw the Batmobile droning in the other direction. Due to her divine eyesight, she noticed that the Batman didn't glance at her direction. He just looked straight ahead, never did bother to see, never did bother to care.

Diana walked casually along the busy streets, her bare shoulders shrugging against rough trench coats and hairy arms. She looked up and saw the moon beaming brightly at her. A full moon, white as pearl, white as her home's shore.

Since the day she saved Themyscyra from Hades' clutches, she was finally permitted to come back home—no longer exiled forever from her homeland, mother, and sisters.

She only stood by a streetlamp, ignoring curious stares from passer-bys. As she reminisced her mother's reassuring embrace around her, or her sisters' grins when she helped them in any way she could, her expression lightened up. She missed Themyscyra. She never felt so alone back home, never felt the dreaded emotion that seemed to be eating her heart away… slowly… insidiously…

"Diana?" 

She looked up and saw a middle-aged man frowning at her. She smiled at him and greeted him with a curt nod .

"How are you?" Diana asked her old friend.

He smiled at last. "Humankind can be so complicated yet fascinating. I must have been too ignorant to care before. I always thought that they were simple-minded curmudgeons."

Diana laughed. "Curmudgeon? So… if humans were curmudgeons in a Martian's judgment, what are Amazons?"

"Intense… astute warriors." The man grinned at Diana.

"How perceptive of you to admit so, J'onn J'onnz." She elbowed his arm and then cocked her head to the side. "I missed you."

In a flash, she hugged him warmly. J'onn hugged her in return. When both of them broke free, J'onn asked, "Want anything to drink before you… hit the sack?"

Diana giggled at his hesitant, last words. "Sure thing, pal."

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"You look exhausted. Here," J'onn handed her a pint of tonic with a squeeze of lemon. "It's not alcoholic but it might help."

Diana accepted it cheerfully and downed it in a sec. They were seated in the back corner of a café, practically hidden from fellow drinkers. The place was low-ceilinged yet the ambiance was homely. Thankfully the smokers and heavy drinkers decided on sitting their huge butts outside; their throaty bellows could even be heard from inside, which didn't bother Diana as much as it normally would.

Diana languidly tucked a wisp of lock behind her ear. "I don't know why I'm admitting this, but I feel miserable, J'onn."

J'onn put down his café au lait and stared at her, his disguised wrinkles doubling as he urged her to continue. But she went silent. "Diana…"

Chuckling at her depressed state, she shook her head. "I'm sounding dramatic that it's aggravating you too. Sorry…" She stood up, slapped a bill on the table. "I have to go. Need some rest before my shift starts."

But J'onn interrupted her. "No, Diana. We're not yet done… Please."

She tentatively sat down, blowing out a sigh as she slumped back on the spongy couch. "It's Bruce. There, you happy?"

But J'onn didn't answer her. Diana sat up, then said, "It's so frustrating that I can't forget about him entirely… like a piece of me has been torn away… Eck…" She pinched the bridge of her nose. "I sound so pathetic. We should stop…"

"No." He didn't need to read her mind to know that she was glum over Bruce. He only gazed at her unusual sad face, waiting for her to speak up.

She arched a brow but continued, "To put it simply, what's wrong with me, J'onn?"

"Lovesick though it's clearly not obtrusive. And you're feeling this way because you and Bruce haven't talked about it. You just _ended_ it silently." He paused to sip his drink. "It's nagging you because you subconsciously feel like you haven't ended it at all. Sometimes, speaking out your mind can clear things up, Diana. Wally has certainly proved that statement to be a fact." He inwardly smiled at the mention of the Crimson Speedster. "Hiding your true emotions or thoughts can't put your mind at rest."

When he was finished, Diana only gawked at him. After a moment of gathering her thoughts together, she asked, "Have you been taking Psychology classes?"

J'onn smiled. "Would you be surprised if I did?"

Diana laughed. "So unlike you if you did so."

Both of them chuckled at Diana's remark. When J'onn composed himself, he murmured, "Yes. Very unlike of me…"

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After embracing J'onn for the last time, Diana soared in the direction of Gotham.

Maybe she was lovesick. Or maybe, she was crazy. But she had to agree that J'onn had a point. _Hiding your true emotions or thoughts can't put your mind at rest._

She was flying over Gotham's mucky waters; discarded tires, empty food packages, and rags inhabited the shore instead of crabs lounging in trashy buffet. They must have become human garbage—ironically every crab's delicacy. What a pity, Diana sardonically thought to herself.

She was approaching Wayne Manor, and the thought of seeing Bruce impulsively made her slow down. She remained immobilized in Gotham's polluted air, rehearsing her lines over and over again.

'Hello. Mind if I talk to you for a minute?' Too friendly. 'Good Evening, care to join me for a walk?' Clichéd and too formal. 'Hi. Care to chill?' Fake and informal.

Diana groaned secretly and finally decided to simply worry about it when she arrived on his doorstep.

She prayed a short prayer to Hera and flew in the direction of the august, antiquated manor. She glanced at the moon shining above her. The transcendent brother of the Sun, the color of her mother's skin, the color of Themyscyra's pristine shoreline. She really missed home.

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To be continued…

You like? No! Why? Please review… XD


	2. Love hinders

Disclaimer: As much as I want to be part of Bruce Timm's crew, I am not. I don't own Justice League, to my dismay. But it's fun just thinking about it. XD

Quillian, dydust, ccabello, NO Name… thanks so much for your reviews! XD Hope y'all enjoy the next chapters. :P

**Enjoy!**

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Bruce scowled at the huge, blank screen in front of him. 'So much for keeping busy,' he thought. He wearily rubbed his face, his mind gradually wandering to a memory he refused to remember but frequently harried his dreams.

Diana. He hissed with evident frustration. As much as he loathed himself for mulling over his past _affair_ with the Amazonian princess, he had to admit that he missed her cheery smile when they met each other in the hall or, when he fumbled with words that suggested mere friendship with Diana, the mischievous glint in her deep-blue eyes sometimes flabbergasted him.

He sighed exasperatedly. He had to let her go. It was for the best. He had to keep his distance from those who he cherished… as long as he stayed away, they would be safe. Without warning, he reminisced his parents' inequitable murder and Jason Todd's, his adopted son, death.

Bruce rose from his swiveling chair and began to walk toward the stairway. Suddenly, Alfred appeared in the doorway, his figure replacing the grandfather clock's current position.

"Good evening, Master Bruce. I see that you are finished with your nightly scrutiny over Gotham."

Bruce lightly smiled at his butler. Many occasions did he try to convince Alfred to accept his retirement but the old man scolded Bruce for even mentioning it. He then countered Bruce's proposition by affirming that he was also Bruce's foster father. He practically owned Bruce Wayne.

"Regrettably, I'm done with the night." Bruce started to climb the steep, narrow staircase.

"It's quite funny that you feel it to be regrettable because I sincerely consider it a timely coincidence that I don't need to bother you from your work." Alfred combed back his thinning white hair. "You have a guest waiting in the living room, sir."

Bruce looked at Alfred quizzically. "At this hour? Who would…"

"I'm sure it'll be better if you see her yourself." Alfred, with a gentlemanly flourish, tidied Bruce's rumpled collar. "Please, sir. You wouldn't want to keep your wonderful guest waiting."

"A woman?" _Wonderful guest?_ The only admired guest whom Alfred was familiar of was Diana… Bruce stood motionless by the ticking clock. He squinted his eyes at his butler. "Alfred…"

"It's not past midnight, very far from your sleeping hour… or should I correct myself… your brooding time was what I meant to say actually." Alfred playfully smirked at Bruce. "Shall you meet her or should I curtly tell her that the master is already cross-eyed with too much moping…?"

Bruce scowled at Alfred. "I'll see her." When he walked past Alfred, he turned and said, "Don't wait up. I'll close after myself."

"Always the self-reliant one…" Alfred smiled, then added, "That won't be necessary. I want to say my regards to the Princess when she has to leave later." Without another word, Alfred left Bruce in the hallway.

Bruce muttered gallingly as he paced to the living room. When he paused in the doorway, Diana was looking out the window, her smooth, perfectly chiseled back facing him. He cleared his throat.

She turned and, for the first time in months, Bruce saw Diana's atypical upside-down smile. It was certainly uncharacteristic of her to greet a friend with a sad frown.

Concerned, Bruce approached her , but he abruptly stopped when she held up her hand. "I know it's very unlike of me to come to you rashly, but I had to. I have to…"

He nodded seriously as he gestured Diana to sit on the couch. Diana conceded and sat down, Bruce setting himself in his armchair. After a minute's pause, Bruce asked, "Want a drink? Tea? Coffee?"

"No thanks, I'm fine." She glanced at Bruce. She saw that he masked over his feigned, welcoming playboy act and put on instead his Batman pose; his blue eyes were deep with unrelenting concentration, his lips sketched in an unfriendly line, his hands folded together.

Taking in a deep breath, she asked, "Was your love true to me?"

Fairly nonplussed, Bruce closed his eyes, tried to think of what to say to lighten the heavy mood hanging in the air. "Diana…"

But Diana shook her head, stood up. "That's all I needed to know. Thank you for your time." Even when it lasted for a second, she already saw his stunned face, his edgy glance when she asked that question. She didn't need to hear more to know further, to know that it was nothing more than infatuation.

She started to walk away but Bruce shot up and said, "Diana. It's not that." She stopped in front of the entrance. "What then?" she asked, her voice aggravated.

"I…" Resigned to tell her the truth, he looked at her straight in the eye and said, "I did. But I had to end it because if we pursued it, it would complicate things."

"Like how? Your enemies would come after me if they found out Batman's girlfriend is Wonder Woman?" She smirked at Bruce. "So? Do I look like an antique porcelain doll to you?"

"Not exactly, but Joker is very cunning and unscrupulous. I was…" _I still am…_ "… afraid of your safety if we dwelled in the _next_ level."

Diana tried to ignore his use of past tense. She stared at his face to see a hitch in his words. But she didn't see any. He was direct and somber. She didn't know why she kept on going, but she felt compelled to ask him yet another.

"So, when we silently ended the relationship, has your heart stopped feeling for me ever since?"

Bruce immediately wished that the floor cracked underneath him as of that moment. He had to make his answer quick, as painless as possible. He couldn't love her… shouldn't. "What if I did?"

Diana's eyebrows twitched in annoyance. "A simple yes or no would have been better. What? You're beginning to adapt the Question's style of evading love queries too?" She didn't care anymore. Bruce Wayne, a.k.a. the Batman, was being too insufferable.

Infuriated, Bruce contradicted, "Fine. Let's say, I said yes. Then what? You think we'll have a happy ending after we confess our feelings? That's stupid logic." His hands were shaking with anger, his voice rising. "Look at Shayera and John. You think they're having a glorious time together? As you can see, they've broken up even when they realized that they still love each other. As a matter of fact, their so-called love disrupts their work."

"So that's what this is all about. You think that your crime-fighting days would become more complex or that it would evaporate into oblivion if you have a relationship." She held up her hand before Bruce could interrupt her. "Sure. I understand now. Love's only a hindrance to you, never a benefit, is it?" Diana flashed a glare at him. "Ignoring your heart's desire is like neglecting your parents' love for you, because you are forgetting how their love made you and raised you. There's nothing wrong with you saving other people's lives, but you must also save yourself from losing the boy they loved, the boy you've been concealing all these long years." She didn't know every detail of Bruce's past, but she knew a little to know that he was traumatized, and a bit off in the head.

Flushing with immeasurable anger, Bruce fought the urge to storm out of the room. He had to firmly hold his ground. He then said softly, "We can never be together because my future says that I stand alone, and I'll die alone. Furthermore," he glared back. "You're being selfish to think that I should love you instead of saving others. I was raised to save humankind, not to loll in a night club every night to entertain sluts." He exhaled heavily. "You women are all alike. Egocentric and too needy for their own good."

His last words struck Diana as if a spear went right through her heart. Her face instantly reddened with rage. As much as she wanted to throw Bruce through his own wall, she gathered all the dignity she could muster, and then said, "Well, I'm sorry then if I've been egocentric and needy for a man's love. Mother was right about men all along. Sorry for wasting your time."

She evenly walked out of the room while Bruce only stared at her retreating form. He immediately fell back on his chair and covered his face with his callused hands.

After hearing the door close, Bruce stood up, his hands falling to his sides. He went to his room and limply sat on the bed. When he heard footsteps approaching the room, he looked up only to find Alfred scowling at him from the doorway. "Suave move, Master Bruce…" he said mockingly. And then, "Good night, sir."

"Good night, Alfred." He never felt so tired, so miserable since he donned the black cowl and tights but now. He closed his eyes, flopped back on his bed only to fall into oily darkness.

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"What took you so long?" She was leaning on the lamppost, her eyebrows furrowed in pointless hostility.

"Sorry, Justice League business." He slipped out of his blue Saab and hurried to where her motorbike was parked. He stopped in front of it, and then turned to face his masked girlfriend.

"Aren't you going to help me haul this into the trunk?" He asked coolly.

She blew out a frustrated sigh and stomped next to him. "Fine…but I swear that as soon as we're done with this, I'm dumping you for a meta-human."

The Question didn't say anything. They heaved the motorcycle into the open trunk. When it was inside, Huntress left Q to securely strap her bike in the back. She slid in, then slammed the door.

When the Question got in and started the car, Helena scoffed at him. "Oh yeah, you were swamped in Justice League business all right, Q… investigating on a One World Government!" She angrily tapped on the tampered folder beside the driver's seat.

Apparently the Question didn't notice Helena's tone of annoyance. He instead explained, "The powerful conspirators of the intended One World Government are made up largely of the international bankers, and the Illuminati, which is a very affluent organization, which controls the mainstream media, workforce, education system, companies, banks, energy supplies and governments. The richest people in the world control them (such are Rothschild and Rockefeller families). They also hide behind many organizations such as the United Nations, the WTO and the Council on Foreign relations. They are very deceptive, using gradualism to infiltrate and delude the masses."

"Q…"

"Oh yeah, did I mention that the US government is subtly spreading Satanism?"

Helena recklessly pushed on Q's foot, which was poised slightly above the brake pedal.

"Ow!" The car swerved to the right, nearly hitting a bus and Mercedes before the Saab screeched to a halt in front of an Italian restaurant.

When Q was able to breathe again, he glared at Helena through his faceless mask. "What the hell's wrong with you? We almost got killed back there!" He turned around to see inquisitive passer-bys staring at them.

"Your fault. You wouldn't shut up." Huntress crossed her arms together. "Mind getting the heck out of here already?"

When they were driving along the highway, Q apologized, "Sorry for taking too long. It momentarily slipped off my mind."

"Momentarily? More like it took you to fly a two-way trip from Greenland and back. I could have already showered, permed my hair, applied make-up, clipped my toenails long before you got here. " Helena faced him. "I waited for more than two hours!"

"You could have gotten a taxi."

"Sure, and risk my identity when the cabbie spots the Huntress symbol engraved on the side."

"It's your fault you engraved it. You should remove it before your enemies figure it's yours and plan on fixing a bomb on it."

Helena narrowed her eyes. "Look, Vic, this is my life and I can do whatever I please. Besides, it has a motion detector. Once I set the alarm on my baby, it won't let anyone lay a finger on it." She turned around to make sure that her bike didn't jump out of the half-concealed trunk.

"Whatever you say, Helena. But I assume that your ego's responsible for it?"

She glared at him once again. "I have my ego and you have your nutty paranoia. Now shut up, will you?" She was about to close her eyes when Q retorted, "Maybe you should remind your ego to fill the gas tank more often, eh?"

She could tell that Q was mad at her for stepping on his foot. This was very rare and usually camouflaged by his mask. His anger always flared up in a stream of non-stop questions and insults. But why would she care? She was also mad.

"That's it! As soon as we get to my apartment, I'm burning all your clothes."

"Fine by me. I have spares at home."

She glared evilly at him. She was itching to wring his neck. "My arrow will pierce right through your laptop."

"I still have my old one." His faceless mug turned to her. "Plus, I have backup for my files."

"Aaargh!" Her hands were centimeters away from scratching his face. "You… you… you…"

"If you want to get home safely, I suggest you sit back and sulk quietly before you try on doing anything more dumb and kill us both." Q didn't dare look at her. He concentrated on steering his car along the deserted freeway.

Helena's face was red with boiling anger, her fingers curled in killer stance. She breathed in and out repeatedly. Conceding defeat for the moment, she closed her eyes to calm herself down.

She finally sat back and muttered, "I knew it I should have left you in Cadmus."

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"Thank you," she said when her boyfriend slipped off her jacket from her tan shoulders.

Oliver Queen handed their jackets to the maître d', and then he led his blonde girlfriend to their reserved table in the corner. As soon as Dinah Lance stopped beside the candlelit table, she breathed in a gasp of astonished awe as she scanned the view that lay outside their window; the restaurant—the Renaissance Palace was its name, and it was perched on top of a low hill—overlooked New York City's sparkling bay and its dazzling city lights, and the hill's myriad trees and flowers added a wonderful touch at the edge of the rise.

She smiled at Ollie. "You sure know how to take a woman's breath away."

"Pleased to hear the prettiest bird loving the view." He pulled her chair to let her sit. "And the food is just as breath-taking as how your eyes just melted when you saw the charming city."

Dinah rolled her eyes exaggeratedly. "Okay, Ollie, let's see if your choice of restaurant is just as sharp as your arrows," she murmured. Before she could wave for the maître d' to come with the menus, he suddenly appeared behind her with a pad and pen in hand.

She looked at Ollie questioningly, but he was already ordering for the both of them.

"Yes… We'll have the Tossed Green Salad with Sherry Vinaigrette for starters," Ollie rubbed his chin thoughtfully, then continued, "For main course, I think the Alder-smoked Loin of Beef with Red Wine and Shallot sauce is quite extraordinary… And we'll have your famous Crème Brûlée for dessert." When the maître d' was ready to leave, Ollie suddenly interrupted him. "And mind bringing out the Merlot? Thanks."

The maître d' nodded pleasingly then quickly walked away in the direction of the kitchen. In a matter of seconds, he materialized with an expensive-looking bottle of wine and a corkscrew.

While he screwed open the bottle, Dinah hissed at Ollie. "Why'd you have to do that?"

Puzzled, Ollie waited for the maître d' to walk away, and then he asked, "What?"

"Why didn't you let me order for myself?"

Hearing her query, Ollie chuckled. "You're mad because I ordered for the both of us?" He abruptly clamped his mouth shut when she glared at him. "Dinah…"

Dinah wearily slumped back in her seat, blew out an angry sigh. "Why do you always think that I can't handle anything myself? Like when I'm sent to either Alaska or the Amazon, you always have to interrupt Mr. Terrific, telling him that you should come with me… to _protect_ me… when in fact I end up saving you from whatever eyesore the whacko maniacs today have set loose on us." She disrupted Ollie from being able to defend himself. "I can take care of myself, Ollie. You don't have to constantly watch over my back all the time… and that includes you stop ordering food for me. We already had this sort of discussion last time."

Slightly infuriated, Ollie retorted, "I only want you to try their specialties. Is there something wrong with that?" He sighed. "Okay, maybe I was a little too concerned about your well-being during saving the world time, but there's nothing wrong with me ordering for your food, is there? Besides, you seemed to enjoy the last time I ordered for us both before."

"Sure. Ever since I started dating you, you've been bringing me to these extravagant restaurants, ordering whatever creation the kitchen has concocted… and it was great. But only until the second time. The last time we ate together, it was already the seventh time for the past two weeks. I couldn't order for what I want to eat or drink. Why do you have to be so pretentious?"

Suddenly angered, Ollie squinted his eyes at her. "Oh. So now I'm pretentious because I'm ordering for my girlfriend all the time. Yeah. I'm an epitome of arrogant ostentation all right. And you have been continually abused by my high and mighty attitude. I'm sorry for bullying you, want me to tell the maître d' to cancel everything and let you, O Abused One, decide on what you want to eat?" He finished mockingly.

Appalled, Dinah stood up and said, "You know what? I just lost my appetite."

"Ditto."

She narrowed her eyes at Ollie. "I'm leaving." She started to walk away but Ollie called after her, "I believe I don't need to tell you where the jackets are because you'll definitely know where it is."

She glared back at him. "I'm not asking you."

"I'm not implying that you should."

She stomped toward the front desk to ask the maître d' where her jacket was. As she stormed out of the restaurant, she gave Ollie a sidelong glare. Ollie refused to look at her though.

When the food arrived, Ollie shook his head. "Wrap it for take-out. I'll pay for your trouble."

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"John. John… John!"

"What? Vixen? Something wrong?"

"Yeah. You," she said as she leaned against his chair. "You're staring into space again. Are you sure you're okay?" She was about to sit on his lap when Green Lantern suddenly shot up.

"Vixen. You know we can't be obtrusive about our relationship while we're here." Suspicious, he turned around to see if anybody was hiding in the monitoring room. "Our shift hasn't ended yet."

"So?" She hummed when she playfully approached him. "No one's looking in…"

Out of the blue, a clanking noise reverberated in the hall outside the room. Green Lantern and Vixen rushed to where the sound originated. When they realized that it was a wrench that fell from a box Shayera was carrying, Green Lantern quickly grabbed it for her.

"Here. You dropped this." He handed her the heavy tool.

"Thanks," she said and smiled at Vixen. "See you two around…"

"Yeah, see you," Green Lantern murmured to himself. But Vixen saw his saddened expression. Escaping from his glum reverie, John said, "C'mon. We can't let our guard down." He somberly re-entered the monitoring room, at the same time ignoring Vixen's quizzical look.

When she was alone in the hallway, she thought to herself, "'Old Yeller' could definitely thrash what I just saw a little while back."

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"I do believe this wraps it up." Flash began to stretch his arms. "Oh yeah… this feels good."

"Before you break your spine by over-stretching yourself, Wally, better clean up before we punch out," Shayera said as she started to pick up the screwdriver and spare nails.

"No problem with me." Within a second, the littered metal parts and tools were cleared from the floor and the once defunct doors were in order once again.

Rubbing his hands together, he asked, "Coffee?"

"Why not?" Shayera grinned at him. "I'm getting the feeling that you want to tell me something."

"Sometimes, you scare me." He slid the door open for Shayera. "After you, my dear lady friend."

A minute later in the vacant cafeteria, Wally handed her a cup of steaming coffee, and then he sat down across her with his hot mug as well. After a calming instance of silence, Wally cleared his throat. "Shayera…?"

"Yup?"

"I… well… I don't know how to say this really… but uh…"

"You're confused," Shayera finished the sentence for him.

Wally narrowed his eyes at Shayera. "You know, you and the Bats are so eerily alike that I don't think I want to ask you how'd you know."

Laughing, Shayera patted his hand. "What are you confused about then? Don't make me _read_ your mind again…"

Wally smirked at her. "I can't be fooled by that. Only J'onn could read minds…"

"Try me."

Smiling, Flash agreed. "Why not? Okay, what am I thinking to say to you?"

Shayera tilted her head to the side as if deep in thought. "Let's see… Who shall I choose, the super-hot Ms. Beatriz, also known as Fire, or the cute reporter, Linda Park?"

All Wally could do was gape at her. "You really are scary."

Shayera chuckled at Wally's reaction. "Okay, pretty boy, what's up with that? Can't you choose already?"

"I tried, but both of them are just so… so…"

"Irresistible?"

"Yeah! That's the word." Wally shyly scratched his head. "Last week Linda asked me for a movie date. I agreed, of course. Then two nights ago, Fire asked me out too. How am I to refuse?"

"Well, good point. But if either of them find out that you're seemingly playing with them, it's not going to be a pretty sight, especially when Fire confronts you."

"I know that, but don't get me wrong on this one, Shayera. I'm not toying with them. I sorta just wanna see who I want to be with in a real relationship. But…"

"You like them both?"

"Exa—hey! Stop that already. It's giving me the gooseflesh." Wally teasingly rubbed his arms. "So… got any good advice for Yours Truly?"

"The only advice I can give you for now is to give it time. You don't have to rush in this kind of decision, Wally. It takes a long time for anybody to figure who his or her perfect match is." She smiled warmly at him. "Think about it. And if you want to get to know either of them separately, you have lots of sources, eh? But if you decide on knowing them personally, be sure that you don't get caught 'cuz it'll turn out real nasty, I'm sure."

"No doubt about that," he admitted. He suddenly gripped Shayera's hands affectionately and said, "Thanks. Even if it wasn't grand, I appreciate your help."

Shayera just smiled. "You can be such a flatterer, yet it's so sincere."

Wally blushed under his mask. He then got up. "You know we could have turned out to be a cute couple. We're both redheads… my baby-blue eyes with your intense green eyes… we could have made beautiful babies together…"

"You do realize that I'm older than you by centuries—according to Thanagarian count."

"Really?" His eyebrows shot up.

"Just kidding." She sipped the last drop of her coffee, then she walked to him. "You can be such a kid."

"Better a kid than a cranky hero like the Bats."

Shayera playfully ruffled his hair. "I guess so."

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**To be continued…**

**You like? No? Why? Review please… XD**


	3. Love bridges

Sorry for delaying, was swamped with notices and reminders from college. … I promise that I'll update sooner after this.

Btw, ldypebsaby, ccabello, No Name… love ya guys! Mwah! Thanks for your reviews. XD

Enjoy!

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She flew aimlessly toward the waning sun, her blue eyes fixed on the orange horizon. Knowing that she might worry or upset her teammates by leaving without any notice, she didn't care much. She only needed to escape from the Justice League business, needed to evade the inevitable, curious inquiries of her colleagues if they see her puckered brow.

J'onn would definitely ask about her. But she couldn't face him. Not now. She needed time to reflect, she needed peace from mortal chaos.

As soon as she landed on Themyscyra's sandy shore, she was immediately greeted by glinting smiles from her sisters who were previously pacing towards their princess. She instantly forgot her grief and returned their smiles with her own dimpled grin and a few cheerful greetings.

Without warning, a high-pitched squeal reverberated across the beach and everyone who was present instantly scowled and stood in fighting stance; Diana's arms were poised high above her chest, her sisters' strong hands ready on their hilts and spears.

And then, out of nowhere, something black landed on Diana with a blinding _whoosh_. Diana fell back in surprise, and when she looked up, she happily hugged the brunette who was currently sitting on top of her.

"Troia!" When Diana reluctantly let go of her sister, Troia stood up and helped Diana up.

"And for a moment I thought that I was about to battle against a menacing squirrel that relishes Amazonian meat," Diana joked. Troia then mischievously raised her brow.

Diana quickly added, "Which is highly daft of anything like it to dare bare its teeth upon me."

After saying this, Diana appraised her sister thoroughly. Troia, also known as Donna Troy, was more beautiful than the last time Wonder Woman remembered her. Diana saved Donna from a burning village when she was but a little girl and brought her to Themyscyra, where Donna was later considered as an Amazon and was bequeathed unparalleled strength.

Donna had thick, silky black hair like Diana's, and her eyes, halter-top, and tight jeans were just as dark as her long mane. Diana gave her a sister a generous pat on the back, then pulled her into a hearty embrace once more.

"You look beautiful."

Donna's eyes were beginning to well up. "You don't know how much I missed you these past years." She looked at Diana. "I've always been waiting for you."

Diana's eyes softened. "Well, it's great to be back."

Uproarious cheers instantly rang everywhere; her fellow warriors laughed, patted Diana's back lovingly, and some dared to break free from their hard shells just to hug their returned, acclaimed warrior.

When their jolly roars died down a little, Diana saw her mother walking towards her, her face beaming with bliss and pride.

"Welcome back, my child." Queen Hippolyta opened her arms to take Diana in a long, hard embrace.

After a teary-eyed moment, Hippolyta murmured in Diana's ear, "Let's go inside." Then she bellowed to her dear warriors, "Let's have a feast to commemorate the gods for bringing our princess back home safely."

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Diana couldn't help feeling so welcomed and loved as plates full of roasted boar and freshly grilled codfish were heaped in front of her. She even had to persuade them that they should stop pushing forkfuls of meat in her face; Donna kept doing that at least.

"C'mon, sister, you have to eat something!" Donna held the fork in front of Diana pursed lips. "Open wide…" she sang teasingly.

"You do realize that you're making Mother flush with embarrassment just by seeing your childish manner." Diana arched her brow. But she accepted Donna's offer with a wide mouth.

"All right! Now…" Donna was now searching for the kishke.

Savoring the moment that she was momentarily free from Donna's agonizing insistence, Diana turned to her mother, smiling.

"So… how is the Man's World so far?" Hippolyta asked.

"Other than predictable chaos overwhelming it constantly…" Diana frowned a bit. "It's fine."

Hippolyta mused over this for awhile. "You don't seem too happy about it."

Diana tried to hide the discomfort from her face and voice by smiling, but it must have looked like she was straining too hard because her mouth began to hurt, and her mother's brows were knitted together in anxiety.

"Diana… You don't seem like yourself…" Queen Hippolyta attempted to smooth Diana's hair comfortingly. But Diana turned away.

"I'm fine, Mother. Don't worry about me." Diana was about to lift her fork when Donna suddenly wailed, "Halt there!"

Perplexed, Diana only stared at her sister.

"First, you have to try this." Donna pushed the spoonful of Shepherd's pie into Diana's mouth, making Diana choke back a little.

When Diana finally calmed her breathing, she exclaimed, "Donna!"

"Whoops! Sorry, I got carried away," she said as she blushed slightly. "The kishke was gone, but I think this is a similar comparison to the next best thing." Donna flashed Diana a wild grin, instigating Diana to forgive her sister instantly.

As Diana gulped down some wine, she could sense her mother staring at her again. So, out of impulse, she effortlessly slid her fork to the floor with the sweep of her arm. A clichéd yet ingenious trick she learned from Wally.

"Oh dear. Sorry about that." She nudged her head ever so slightly toward the floor, looking at Donna intently so her sister could follow her gaze. But Donna just kept stuffing her mouth with pie.

When her head was under the table, she blew out a sigh, then pinched Donna's leg.

"OW!" Thankfully Donna's head appeared under the table, her face three inches apart from a scowling Diana. Donna was about to question Diana but Diana pushed a finger to Donna's lips. Diana then pointed towards the door.

Donna got the message and quickly sat up, finding her mother and sisters staring at her quizzically.

"Um… an _ugly_, harmless rat bit me," she explained. When some warriors were about to peep under the table, she stopped them by exclaiming, "But I'm fine. It's gone…"

They were still looking at her; some of them resuming their dinners, but others were still focused on Donna's blushed face and Diana's bent form.

"Diana?" Hippolyta asked. "Are you—?"

"You know what? I'm full," Donna interrupted when she noticed her mother lifting the white tablecloth to check on Diana.

Hippolyta slowly let go of the white cloth and exchanged puzzled glances with some of her top warriors. They saw that Donna's plate was still overflowing with mixed delicacies, and despite Donna's striking form, she was a hearty _foodie_.

Hearing Donna's excuse, Diana nearly poked Donna's leg with the fork. She instead sat up, and luckily everyone at the table was staring at Donna.

Sensing pitiful trepidation creeping up, Donna quickly countered, "I'll finish my food later. But now…" she glanced at her sister. "Diana needs some fresh air since… it's such a lovely day."

Neglecting confused curiosity from her mother, Donna grabbed Diana's hand, and then stormed out of the room, ignoring murmurs from behind.

When they were out of eyeshot, Donna eyed Diana suspiciously. "Okay… what was up with that?"

They stood in the midst of protective palm trees, the knolls providing perfect cover from intruders. Diana looked from side to side, then said, "Your excuses are just as bad as your airborne dive."

Donna scowled at Diana. "Well, you caught me by surprise." Donna regrettably rubbed her flat belly. "In addition, I'm still hungry. It was so hard thinking on an empty stomach… and a throbbing leg." Donna rubbed her leg.

Diana smiled at this. "I'm sorry. I got carried away."

"Obviously." Donna then looked at Diana with a worried expression. "Mother's right. You are not yourself lately. Something bothering you?"

"Actually," Diana blew out a frustrated sigh, covered her face with her hands. She sat down on a rock that was fixed next to a shaded tree, then she continued tentatively, "You remember Batman?"

"How could I not?" Donna sat next to her sister. "When I was part of the Titans, he was one of our mentors. And the grouchiest man I've ever met." She sighed happily. "Yup, those were the days…"

After the Titans parted ways, Donna still never lost contact with them. She smiled in spite of herself. "I hear Robin's in Bludhaven…?"

"You heard right."

"I wish I could visit them… but Themyscyra's my priority now. The giants and Cyclops are still chasing after our home, and…"

As Donna began blabbering about the recent events that have transpired in Themyscyra, Diana tuned Donna out. As she sat on the rock, pondering what to do next, thinking if she had made the right decision of surprising Themyscyra with her unexpected visit, Donna forcibly shook Diana.

"You're not listening to me!" Donna whined.

Blinking her eyes several times, Diana looked at Donna with a puzzled expression. Then she apologized. "It's just that… I've had a tough time. I thought that coming home would make me feel better."

When Diana didn't disclose any of her reasons, Donna asked after an uneasy minute, "Batman dumped you, didn't he?"

Shocked beyond measure, Diana gawked at Donna. "How did you…?"

"Puh-lease." Trying to avoid Diana's discomfiting gaze, she clicked her tongue annoyingly. "I've been keeping touch…"

"With who exactly?" Diana asked brusquely.

"Oh c'mon… I was sworn never to tell, otherwise, I'll never find out if Dick actually proposed to Babs yet…" But she closed her mouth instantly when Diana scowled at her.

After a long sigh and more clicking sounds with her tongue, Donna admitted, "The Flash."

Diana made a mental note to hunt and gun down Wally the instant she returns to the Watchtower.

Composing herself, Diana asked, "You don't sound disturb about the news. If Mother finds out about this, she would have already flown to the Batcave to terrorize the Batman."

"And won't that bring such satisfying vengeance?" Donna giggled at the prospect of Batman cowering behind his massive computer, evading Hippolyta's apocalyptic rage and razor-sharp sword of doom.

Diana smiled too. "But I would rather be the one who brings chaos to the Batman," she said half-jokingly.

Donna's eyes glinted mischievously. "Ah… I see carnal vendetta coming this way. Oh what great day to think up nasty plots to thwart the grim spoilsport." Donna twitched her lips from side to side as series of vengeful plots began storming into her head.

Diana shook her head as if resigned to whatever ploy Donna had in mind. But she also knew that seeking vengeance, whether harmless or anarchic, always brought misery in the end. And yet, she had to admit that Donna's proposition sounded like fun…

"Cupid!"

"What?"

"Cupid! You know, Venus' son, Psyche's husband. He's perfect!" Donna rubbed her hands together with devious intent. "He's the perfect channel for getting back at the Batman."

Diana thought about this. She and Cupid were friends back then, but ever since she joined JL, she lost connection with her celestial friends. Her past close friends were namely Hermes, Artemis, and Cupid.

Looking back, she even remembered being invited to the commended, sacred union of Cupid and Psyche, where Diana was one of the main witnesses as Psyche—she was once human—ate a slice of ambrosia and became immortal.

Suddenly, a memory she had thought forgotten after years of detachment sprung up like a stray weed. And then she quickly turned to Donna, only to see that she was grinning at Diana roguishly. "Oh yeah… Now you remember."

Diana couldn't resist the temptation to grin with her sister. "But how did you know? Only a few, intimate gods, goddesses, and supernatural beings know about Cupid's other power…?"

"Oh sister. I've made friends in high places. And one of them is… not Cupid."

Diana almost wrung Donna's neck for the reason that Donna was suspending her in suspense.

"It's Psyche," Donna said. "We're like this." She joined her index and middle fingers together. "We're like… girlfriends!"

Diana laughed. "Okay, okay, I get it."

After a moment of excited silence, Diana said, "And I almost thought that you were suggesting the more widely-known power…"

"Oh c'mon… that was so last millennium. It's high time that the Man's World… or rather, one of them learns that Cupid doesn't just carry love arrows."

Diana smiled in agreement. "It's true. Cupid may not seem like it, but his rarely used method is just as potent as Zeus' thunderbolt."

Determined, Diana stood up, rested her fists on her hips. "Shall we now tell Mother that we're going on a short trip to Olympian suburbia?"

"The sooner we tell her, the better."

The sisters abruptly darted towards Hippolyta's temple, their wide grins never faltering as they made their way to the alluring yet formidable structure that towered above them.

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Annoyed, the Question slammed the table with his fists, careful not to hit his defunct laptop no matter how alluring it seemed to throw it to the wall. He leaned his head back, and was thankful that the cafeteria was vacant for the moment.

Cursing to himself, he didn't realize that Green Arrow and the Flash emerged through the doorway. He immediately sat up and tried his best to restart the PC.

Ollie and Wally sat together two tables from the Question, the Flash circling his finger around his ear as he glanced in the Question's direction. Ollie tried not to look and laugh out loud at Wally feigning an indifferent façade.

After chuckles and inoffensive mockeries tired the two a bit, Ollie started to mope when he saw Black Canary passing by the door.

"Ah… love. It creates a new man, yet it kills him in the process almost instantly. It sucks," Ollie said as he gulped down his bitter coffee.

"Dude, keep drinking that, you'll turn out to be a bitter, forlorn lover… seriously." The Flash patted Ollie's back amiably. " It's just a petty argument. I'm sure you can sort it out soon."

"That's the problem. I'm not in the mood to apologize first."

"Oh," Flash said. He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, then wolfed down his oily fries with a loud gulp.

Then they heard the Question cursing under his breath again, his head slumping on the table next to the laptop. He rubbed his face wearily, sighing heavily when he had to shut down his computer.

Concerned because the Question never before showed any signs of lethargy or fits of frustration, Wally asked from the table, "You okay, dude?"

The Question looked up, then he shook his head. "Love."

He stood up, then walked out of the room, leaving Ollie and Wally to exchange glances.

"You don't think…" Flash began to ask.

"Huntress must have dumped him…" Ollie said without thinking.

Flash leaned his chin on his hand. "I suddenly feel so pathetic."

"You're kidding me. I'm the one who's supposed to say that, not you." After a pause, Ollie continued, "You have two girls chasing after you. You're practically a stud!"

Wally laughed at this. "But I haven't made my decision yet." He looked at Ollie. "At least you and the Question have already encountered love quarrels. I'm not even in the first stage yet!"

Hearing this, Ollie had to agree with Wally. "You've got a point."

"I suddenly wished I didn't say anything. Now I feel more miserable."

"Then pick one already," Wally looked up to see Green Lantern walking towards them through the doorway.

"I can't… it's too hard to decide," he told GL.

"Before you say anything further, does Linda Park know you're Wally West then?" Ollie interjected.

"Nope, just the Flash. We watched the movie in a drive-in theatre. But Beatriz knows about my identity." Wally smiled inwardly. "She likes my hair."

"It's hard not to…" GL unexpectedly chimed in. Wally and Ollie then stared at John with puzzled faces.

"John… aren't girls supposed to be saying that about my hair, not you…?" Wally hesitantly said.

Shaking his head, John stammered, "Huh? Whoa… it's not that! It's just that…"

"You having problems with Vixen?" Ollie asked.

John only shook his head. "Not really… but there's something else." When Ollie and Wally only stared at John, waiting for him to continue, he finally blurted out, "It's… Shayera."

"Oh…"

"That's complex, dude," Flash said after a long pause.

"Don't think I don't know it," John quickly countered.

Stepping into the entryway, Batman saw his three colleagues hunched over their coffees as if the end of the world was imminent. He walked towards their table, his presence still unknown to them.

When none of them looked up, he cleared his throat. "It's not hard to foretell that three of the most prominent superheroes would end up contracting Alzheimer's disease at an early age of sixty for the sole reason that during their spare time, they keep staring stupidly at nothing in particular. What's wrong with the three of you?

As if he was nothing but an illusion, they glanced up at him numbly. Flash then replied, "Love. What else?"

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To be continued (soon)…

You like? No? Why? Review please… XD

Author's note: I'm up for suggestions or comments about Flash's future love. It's up to you guys to choose: Linda or Fire?


	4. Love befriends

**My goodness, I don't know how to thank y'all for your reviews! I'm too elated that I could just fly to each of your places and kiss your venerable feet. But uh… that would be too steep and awkward for me to do so. Plus, one of you might have contracted athlete's foot… euw…**

**Kidding! Forget I mentioned it. XD**

**Proponent of EVO: Thanks for your review. I hope that you'll enjoy the next chapters to come.**

**Lavender Gaia: I'm glad that you liked the 'little scenarios', especially on Donna Troy. I'd have to say that I enjoyed writing about her just as much as you love her. I appreciate your suggestion, and I'll try my best to make Flash's fateful love interesting. :P**

**Miguel Angel Dubón Lanza: Thanks very much for your comment! I'll bear it in mind… and I'd have to agree too that Flash needs some new love, eh? **

**Jill: Everybody loves Linda! Well, mostly… but thanks for suggesting. Thanks for loving my fic so far. **

**Gotham's Princess: Thank you, thank you. I'm really happy that you like it so far… Thanks also for the short love anecdote of Wally and Linda. I really appreciate it. XD**

**ldypebsaby: Haha! Love you for liking it. Thanks!**

**CatGirl R and S fan: Thanks for your review… and for understanding my minor predicament… bows **

**ccabello: Thanks for liking it. XD**

**Skite: I never knew that a lot of people like Donna Troy. I'm practically stunned. To be honest, it was supposed to be a mother-daughter talk in the beginning, but Donna just popped into my head and that's what happened. Hehe… Thanks for your review! XD As for Flash, not so sure. I'm still thinking it over. **

**brainfear: Well, two thumbs up for you too! ;D**

**a.k.a wonder woman: Thank you so very much! Hope you'll continue liking it. XD**

**Enjoy!**

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"Well, well, well… if it isn't the sisters of heartless Themyscyra . Long time no see, my very dangerous friend," He said lightheartedly as he hugged Diana warmly. "Welcome to Olympian suburbs!" Hermes made a short bow in front of the two sisters.

Diana playfully cocked her head to the side. "Last time you came to me, you weren't as courteous as now. Why the change?"

"Ah… that time I could see that you were moody. And my jokes are not always light, have you forgotten already?" Hermes went back to his tiny station beside the golden gate that led to Olympia. He began to search for the guest's scroll, which was required by the gods so they could consider if the visitant could enter through the gates of Olympia.

"Here it is…" He stretched open the scroll and dug out a feathered pen from his tunic. "Sign here." He pointed at the line below Circe's name.

Diana looked at it inquisitively. It was dated just a few weeks ago and the word 'Approved' was posted beside her signature.

"Circe was here? Isn't she forbidden to cross the gate to Olympia?" she asked.

Hermes smirked at Diana. "Always so curious." He dug out a signed laurel from his tunic and handed it to Donna. "Your pass," he told Donna as she received it. Diana turned to see a grinning Donna holding the laurel protectively.

Donna sensed Diana looking at her, and then replied, "Advantages of keeping contact." She grinned at Diana. "I don't need to sign my name anymore."

Diana sneered at Hermes. "It's been a long time that I now need to leave my name." After signing her name, the scroll instantly vanished into a puff of white smoke.

As they waited for the gods' approval if Diana could enter the gate or not, Hermes answered Diana's query as he leaned on the golden counter of his workstation. "Zeus may have banned her visits, but not Helios, her father. They fought over it." Hermes chuckled. "Circe had to wait for hours, and you wouldn't believe how trying the situation was for the both of us. She kept cursing, not softly mind you. But I ignored her. She even sworn that she would turn Zeus into a pig, but before I could hem her mouth, Zeus sent his approval. But only on one condition—it shouldn't take longer than fifteen minutes. And hearing that, Circe wasn't pleased at all."

He started laughing. "It was similar to either take it or leave it." He patted Diana's hand. "I'm sure you would have laughed at the sight of Circe's face turning into a frightening shade of scarlet."

"And find ourselves rolling on the floor laughing our guts out until she turns us into rolling pigs in the mud eventually." Diana smiled. "It's been a long time since we had this sort of conversation, eh?"

"Yeah," he said as he rubbed off happy tears from his eyes. "Those were good times."

Suddenly, the scroll materialized on the counter, and the word 'Approved' prompted Diana to smile.

"No surprise there," Hermes said as he tucked the scroll away. He then handed a laurel to Diana. "You can go inside now."

Before walking through the gargantuan gate, Diana leaned over the counter and kissed Hermes' cheek. "See you later, my friend."

Hermes smiled at her. "You have just made my usually monotonous days bright." He waved her a quick goodbye.

As soon as they were safely inside Olympian grounds, Donna said, "I wonder if Cupid would just be as delighted to see you as Hermes was."

Diana raised her brow at Donna. "Is it strange that Cupid won't be excited to greet me as before? He's one of the nicest gods I've ever met…"

"But he ignores me… that's why I was never close to him." Donna crossed her arms over her chest and pouted. "He's a snub," she said.

Diana smiled. Cupid was very fastidious about his choice of friends. She couldn't even believe that they became as close as siblings ever since she declined his offer to find her a match. She reminisced that day as if it only happened yesterday.

"You're a stunning sight, Princess Diana. It's not hard to find many men crawling at your feet." Cupid suavely took her hand in his and kissed it. They were in Zeus' temple. A social gathering was held for the reason that the gods were rejoicing Zeus and Hera's nth anniversary. Princess Diana at that time was the representative for Themyscyra.

Revolted that a male touched her, she briskly pulled her hand away from his hand. "They would be crawling at my feet with writhing pain. And it's not hard to see you doing the same if you attempt on holding my hand again."

Amused beyond measure, Cupid's hand gracefully raked through his thick, beautiful brown locks, and grinned. "You really are absolutely amusing, Princess. Usually, your sisters would start advancing towards me no matter who my mother or father is. But you…" He dared stroke her chin as if trying to spark the bonfire inside her. But Diana stood composed, cold. Smiling, he continued, "Your bark is just as appalling as your bite."

Smirking coldly, she brushed his hand away. "If you love my appearance so much, why don't you marry me?"

Cupid started to laugh. "That would be a wonderful prospect… but it's against the rules. Especially under your law. I wouldn't want your mother and mine to fight over this. War, whether it involves many or few, is destructive and aimless." He sipped his wine. "Men and women can actually live peacefully if you've observed other worlds, my dear. War only devastates the soul, and reckless pride is not worth fighting for."

Since he emitted those words from his mouth, Diana's view on men changed forever. Back home, she was continually taught that men were cold-hearted, brutal war-freaks, and Amazons were born to annihilate men from their fruitless existence. But since that very venerable day, she became rebellious about her mother's teachings and became inquisitive about the Man's World by every passing minute.

As time arduously passed in her immortal dimension, she had grown to be more flexible at mind and at heart, especially when it involved friendship; she made fast friends with Cupid and Hermes, who was also Cupid's best bud. They then taught and showed her the makings and goings of the Man's World. By then, Artemis relayed Diana's inevitable fate to her: her justice-serving days on earth were growing imminent. And it obviously happened.

Shaking away from her reverie, Diana realized that they stopped in front of a palace that stroke her reawakened memory. The walls were gleaming with pearly shine, the diamond-sparkled gate was almost as huge as Olympia's entrance, the lawn's shrubbery was speckled with myriad roses of different, bright shades, and the neighboring abodes of other gods were just as amazing as what stood before them.

Even as a frequent guest of Cupid and Psyche's home, the sight of it never could stun Donna once.

"Amazing, isn't it?" Donna later asked. She quickly shook the bell fixed on the wall beside the gate, and a resonant sound hung in the air until a beautiful, young woman emerged through the doorway.

Recognizing Donna's face, the brunette resisted the urge to jump like a trampoline was beneath her but hurried to the gate and unfastened the lock. She hugged Donna so tight that Donna had to hiss, "You're killing me."

"Oh, sorry," she said. When they let go of each other, Psyche noticed Diana smiling at them. Searching for a strand of her memory, she suddenly exclaimed, "Diana!"

"Psyche." They kissed each other on the cheek and were enveloped in a quick embrace. Grinning, Psyche said, "You haven't changed a bit."

"I hope that's a compliment."

Psyche laughed. "It is." She widened the gate's entrance and motioned them to come in. As they were walking through the glitter-embossed footpath, Diana noticed that only one room was lit in the house.

Before she climbed the marble porch, Diana asked, "Is Cupid busy?"

"Not quite. Just reading the mortal's love stories to past the time," she said as she closed the door behind them. "Shall I tell him that his old friend has returned, or would you rather surprise him yourself?"

By now, Donna spoke out, "I have a better idea…"

A minute passed before Psyche and Donna appeared in the living room. Without looking up from his book, Cupid dully greeted Donna, "Hello. Please don't mind me. I'm just reading this overrated Shakespeare novel."

When Donna and Psyche still didn't flinch from his dismal tone, he finally put away his book and stood up.

"Is everything… fine…?"

His jaw dropped when he saw another muscular figure leaning on the room's doorway.

"Donna's right about you being a snub," Diana said as she squeezed past Psyche and Donna. When he was still silent, she continued, "It's rude not to greet your guests properly."

Shaking his head, he began chuckling. "Fine." He held Diana's hand and kissed it with a gentlemanly grace. "How are you, Princess?"

Smiling, Psyche pushed Donna to the kitchen. Diana nearly laughed out loud when she heard Donna murmur from the other room, "Why doesn't he do that to me…?"

Without wasting another second, Cupid gestured Diana to sit on the couch beside his lounger. Sitting down, Diana inspected the room carefully. The furnishings were still the same as before; diverse paintings of himself and Psyche covered nearly every inch of the walls, the marble fireplace was festooned with cherubs that were playfully extracted from Cupid's supposed likeness on earth, the laced curtains looked refreshing, and the furniture was still hard and quite uncomfortable but Diana noticed that the easy chair where Cupid was sitting on was modern, like a La-Z-Boy imitation she saw in earth's stores.

"Where did you get that?" She pointed at his chair.

"I see that you've noticed its incongruous design in the room." Cupid smiled at her. "Psyche bought it from earth. My old chair hurt my back numerous times that she insisted on me to try this." He paused for a moment. "The mortal's fickle inventions can be very useful and relaxing, don't you agree?"

Diana nodded amiably. "Cupid…"

He interrupted her by saying, "I'm sorry. Where are my manners? Do you want anything to drink, Princess?"

_Princess_. She choked back the tears that almost welled up. She shook her head vigorously. "No."

Puzzled by her abruptness, he asked, "Princess Diana--?"

"Please don't call me 'Princess'. It brings unpleasant memories," she said, her eyes ignoring his concerned, sapphire stare.

Pursing his lips, he leaned back, then asked, "I assume you need a favor?"

She looked at him, her sad eyes instantly turning into a cold, hard gaze, nearly making Cupid shiver with uneasiness. "I don't need your arrows… but the orb."

Cupid only nodded his head. "Before I bestow what you want, tell me what's wrong." He wasn't pleading or asking her to tell him her reasons; he wanted and needed to know because Diana was his friend. After long years without her friendly visits, he missed her immeasurably. It was hard not to admire Diana. And he wondered who on earth would dare break her heart.

Diana reluctantly told him everything. And she was able to prove his dread to be right when he saw the depression through her face, making Cupid despise the Batman the more she continued her story.

When she was finished, she said, "I'm sorry if I'm devastating you, but somehow, I feel better telling you all this."

She attempted to smile, but he looked at her sternly. "Please don't force yourself. It pains me to see a close friend forcing herself to smile while she feels like frowning all the way."

Diana felt the urge to kick his shin. "Don't belittle me just because you've seen my vulnerable side, Cupid." She straightened up, her eyebrows in a haughty arch. "A princess never frowns all the way."

"But you're itching to do just that," Cupid retorted teasingly.

"Don't play coy with me, Cupid," She leaned her elbow on the armrest. "Maybe a cup of your best wine would ease my frazzled nerves a bit."

"Aren't princesses prohibited to indulge in inebriated pleasure?" When she feigned annoyance, he moved his hand gracefully in a circular motion, then a silver cup half-filled with grapey, alcoholic goodness appeared in his hand.

Diana accepted it without complaint, then sipped the wine indulgently. When she settled the cup on the brass coffee table, Cupid said, "I don't like this Batman. He sounds unworthy of your amity."

Diana smiled at him. "Maybe so, but he is a good man. I have to give him points for that. He's just so emotionally deficient… he fails miserably in that field."

"And you want me to make you into just that? Just like him?" As he said it out loud, he began to understand Diana's plan. "Oh… Now I see. You're going to retaliate by rebuffing his cold blow with the orb's help, instead of the usual, trite fiery arrows of mine." He combed back his long, brown bangs back. "I was actually getting tired of watching the gooey feeling you see in the victim's eyes after my love arrows have made its effect."

Diana and Cupid exchanged devious grins. "I love you for making my day feel quite exciting for a change." He stood up and stretched his back, which cracked loudly as he did so. "Being a god can be so tedious."

Diana chuckled. "But being an Amazon can be the opposite of your current sentiment."

"Oh sure, envy me now. As you can see, I don't want to fight my own kind or to be in any kind of bloody, bone-shattering brawl for that matter," he contentedly shot back. "I'd rather go stupid with boredom than die for nothing important but plain rancor," he added indifferently.

"Suit yourself," Diana sang cheerily.

Cupid rolled his eyes exaggeratedly, then with another elegant flutter of his hand, a black orb materialized in his smooth palm.

It was not bigger than a tennis ball, so Cupid could easily enclose it with his long, immaculate fingers. He approached Diana and held it in front of her face.

"Here it is. I call it, 'The Orb of Apathy'. But my wonderful wife calls it, 'Insanity'." He smirked. "She prefers my old method. She believes this will only bring more pain, which I also believe she may have a point."

Diana eyed him questioningly. She asked, "What do you mean?"

He gently dropped the orb in her open hand and sat himself in his chair, leaning forward with his hands resting on his knees. Diana tossed the dark object from one hand to the other as if it only weighed as light as a ping-pong ball.

"Would you be surprised if I told you that Circe tried it herself a millennium ago?"

Diana mused over this. Then she turned to Cupid. "If you mean that because of the orb, she turned from bad to worse—I can't see it. What happened?"

"You can see the result in its active splendor these days," Cupid shook his head as if regretting the day he magically created the orb out of sheer curiosity and tedium. "Many centuries ago, long before you were molded from clay by your mother, Circe had an explicit relationship with Odysseus. If you've heard of this story, you should know that she compelled him to love her, otherwise, he and his mates would be turned into swine."

"I know that, but what's the connection--?"

Cupid interrupted her by saying, "Don't rush me, Prin—Diana." He cleared his throat, then continued, "When he finally left her, she was in pitiful depression. She would turn anyone—that includes both men and women, even children—into boars and devour them. She went insane. It was her conduit of rage to Odysseus. Just the thought of him maddened her even more. By then, you were already born." Cupid smiled. "You've never really known her from the beginning. She wasn't all evil before she met Odysseus. She was only a sadist, but she didn't eat her victims at that time. Sometimes, she would even turn them back into their human forms." He paused to sip a glass of wine. "So, when she met Odysseus, she instantly loved him, but then he left her, and when she was banned from the mortal realm—all gods are banned except for Hermes—she couldn't bear the thought of being apart from Odysseus."

Cupid leaned his head on the soft leather of his chair. "Helios turned to me for help because apparently she couldn't be stopped… or sustained. So, that's when I created the Orb of Apathy. It worked… for only a limited time. It erased her memory of Odysseus… but she became inscrutable." He paused to lick his dry lips. "She was the first to use the orb, so I didn't know its real affects to the user's mind. When she wore the orb for more than twenty-four hours, she gradually became erratic; she was so unusual and immeasurably rebellious. As you've noticed a few months back, she descended to earth countless times—and you know that's prohibited to a god—and began producing havoc there. My guess is that her subconscious mind is reminding her of Odysseus' _betrayal_ to her… that's why she is messing the Man's World from time to time. In short, she has become a quintessence of subliminal rage and unconcerned for what her damages can do to man. She can never change back to her old self because the orb has made her for what her heart secretly desires—a channel of destruction to avenge Odysseus' _disloyalty_ to her."

He stared at Diana, hoping that the information sank in without difficulty.

"No matter how chaotic her mind has become, I can never forgive her for what she did to me when she came to earth. She is the most despicable god I have ever become acquainted with," Diana added with venom rising in her voice.

Cupid laughed at her reaction. "Don't let Helios catch you there."

Smiling now, Diana looked at him, her face a mirror of understanding. Then she asked, "Does that mean I can't use it?"

"To be honest with you, you can. But it's unstable and the time of use is limited. It shouldn't take longer than twenty-four hours presumably."

"How do you mean?"

He took the orb from her then continued, "It can take any form you want it to be. Let's say, you want it to take a form of a necklace, any color you choose, may it be red or yellow, it's fine." He then sat down next to Diana on the hard couch. "You wear this for only one day, not more. Otherwise, you'll turn out like Circe or the other gods who used it for more than twenty-four hours straight."

He saw that Diana was about to ask about the other gods' condition, but he interrupted her. "Don't ask. It doesn't sound pretty at all. Trust me." He squeezed her hand amicably.

Diana went silent again. Then she clarified, "So I can wear the orb for only one day, otherwise, I'll never be able to return to my old self again… ever?"

Cupid only nodded his head. Diana's mouth opened in question when suddenly, Donna came stumbling through the doorway, Psyche close behind with her hand over her mouth.

When Donna finally composed herself, brushing off imaginary dirt that clung to her pants, she apologized. She saw that Diana was frowning at her, and she quickly countered her sister's questioning face.

"She pushed me," she pointed at Psyche, who was blushing.

"Sorry…" When she saw her husband's lingering gaze on her, she admitted, "I couldn't hear too well."

Diana arched her brow at Donna. "How much did you hear?"

"Let's see… he mentioned something about Circe turning people into pigs, the Orb of Insanity… Apathy, I mean," Donna and Psyche tried to stifle their chuckles. "Uh… the latter part was pretty much a blur."

Impassive, Cupid turned to Diana. "I'm sure that you wouldn't mind if Donna goes to Earth with you?"

"What?" The sisters asked in unison. Diana's face was startled, but Donna's was ecstatic. By now, Psyche came to her husband's side and leaned her weight on his back, her arms hugging his neck.

"Why?" Diana asked.

"To keep an eye on you," he shifted the orb to his other hand. "Twenty-four hours, remember? Unless…"

"Unless?" Diana asked.

"Unless you take it off before the twenty-fourth hour has stroke," When Donna's head slanted in confusion, he explained, "You could only wear for it one day, not more than that. So, if you take it off before the day ends, you're safe. And you can put it back on the next. That simple. The only glitch is not more than one day, got it?"

"Now I think I understand most part of it," Donna grinned. "So my sister is going to act like a mega-intimidating feminist, so indifferent towards the guys and _the Batman_ while having skin contact with the orb. Before clock strikes twelve of midnight, she takes it off… back to my sister's friendly self. Then she could wear it again the next day to spoil the Bat's noddle. Sweet!" Donna started to giggle by herself, ignoring Cupid's inquiring eye on Diana.

Diana only shook her head. "Blame the Flash."

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To be continued…

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	5. Love remembers

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**Enjoy!**

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"Hey, Lady," the police officer stopped her short from slipping through the yellow tape that separated her from the ugly scene just a few feet ahead.

She turned to the man with a charming smile and said, "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know." She slickly dug out from her purse her ID. "I'm Linda Park with the Central City News, and I—"

"You're off-limits from questioning any of those men working there—"

"It'll take a sec, I promise," she butted in as she tried to slide by him. But he was resolute.

"Ma'am… you wouldn't want to make a scene, would you?"

Linda smirked at him. "Any scene would be fine by me as long as I don't have to let my viewers on commercial-waiting. Now… just like you, I got a job to do."

The officer arched his brow skeptically at her.

"Look, I'm not like any of those grating reporters or journalists you deal with. I always get my job quicker than average and I stick to the point without delay. C'mon… just an interview wouldn't kill your position and the public has the right to know what's happening." She made another try to slide by him but he just shook her head.

Meanwhile, Wally was intently focused on the corpse's manicured fingernails when his colleague brushed past Wally's bent form to take continuous photos of the victim.

When he was done, Paul Matthews stood up and whistled a pitiful tune that made Wally look up.

"Feeling for the dead guy, huh?" Wally asked with a frown.

"No such luck." Paul took another shot at the corpse from where he was standing. "If my guess is correct, he was planning to make out with a raw chic at the bar."

"And if your guess was wrong?" Wally asked as he stood up.

"Then I pity his untimely death… slightly."

The dead victim's name was Dylan Fitzgerald. For the past six months, he had filed three divorces, broke up with his _new_ girlfriend two weeks ago, and was seen smooching an unidentified college student not too long ago.

He owned a limousine rental agency, which also included loaning massive, expensive cars of eminent brands known in the world as of today. His income wasn't impressive, but his good looks and charm must have swooned many blinded girls to think that he was some business hotshot.

On that fateful night, the victim was instantly shot by a stray ricochet from an easy bank robbery not too far off from where he dropped dead. The forensics team later found out that he had no prior engagement with anyone, and his car was parked in front of the local bar, where the team was now groping for witnesses, pictures, and required data for filing a report that would be categorized as nothing more than an accident.

Paul asked, "Why were you looking at his fingernails anyway?"

Wally sheepishly scratched his head. "Didn't think that guys would go to salons to have their nails done."

"Must be bi," Paul said jokingly. "C'mon, Wally, we're done here."

"So much for bringing my eye of matchless scrutiny and limitless knowledge of medical jurisprudence," Wally said as he took off his plastic gloves. He then added quite sadly, "Just have to reserve it for another dire loss."

Paul only shook his head and patted his friend's back. "Wally, Wally, Wally…" He stopped when he noticed some commotion in the restriction lines. "Isn't that…?"

Wally looked up and saw Linda Park being pulled away by two burly police officers from behind.

"Hey! Watch it. You don't have to push me like that," Linda tried to wrench her hand away from the guard's strong grip. When he let go of her, she narrowed her eyes at him. "I'll be on my way then… alone."

She impulsively looked back to see the languid scene behind her but her glance caught Wally and Paul staring at her. A thought abruptly clicked in her head and she grinned wildly.

"Adieu, officers," she addressed them sweetly, and then eyed her cameraman to stay put. She made a move to go resignedly, her eyes occasionally watching the officers ignoring her. When the guards finally looked away, Linda Park darted past them, ducked below the line, and ran straight towards Wally and Paul.

As soon as she caught her breath, she smiled and said, "Hello."

Paul whistled a tune that seemed to say, 'You thrashed them good,' and he held out his hand to shake Linda's. Wally, on the other hand, continued to gape at her.

When Linda caught Wally staring at her, she asked, "Your first time to meet a reporter up close?"

Shaking his head, Wally replied with a grin that was beginning to pull at the corner of his mouth, "Not one as slick as you."

Paul raised his brow at Wally, but Wally ignored him. Amused, Linda held out her hand, "I'm—"

"Linda Park. I know. My name's Wally West," Wally took her hand and shook it amiably. He tried to look away from her dark eyes, but he seemed mesmerized by it. Mustering all his courage to speak at the very least, he commented, "You sure could run with those heels." He stole a glance from her two-inched sandals. "Looked almost impossible… like wow."

"Was once part of the track team." She filled in for him, smiling.

She chuckled when she saw him quite speechless. When Wally still didn't say anything but kept looking away, she said, "But I can't beat the Flash of course," Her cheeks were starting to flare up. "He seems to be a nice guy, huh?"

"Yeah," Wally said with a shy grin. Paul heard enough to know that he had something he'd probably forgotten to do. He waved Linda goodbye and smacked Wally's back hard… really hard that Wally's eyes widened with shock and sudden, minor pain.

When they were alone, Wally cleared his throat and was about to ask Linda's reason for sprinting when three police officers approached them.

One of them looked sternly at Linda and said, "Ma'am, I believe you have to come with us…"

"Whoa… dudes." Wally slipped in between Linda and the officer who spoke out. "She's with me."

The police officers exchanged glances. The one who spoke out earlier said, "Mr—"

"West. If you have to check, I work here, and Ms. Park's with me. So I suggest that y'all could go away now. "

When they still didn't make to leave, Wally thrust his wallet out and showed them his ID. Still retaining their grim stance, Wally sighed. "Want my green then?"

Hearing this, they scowled and shook their heads. "We don't work that way, sir. But…" Their somber gaze fell on Linda. "Tell Ms. Park to next time abide with our orders, otherwise, she'd have to spend one night in the cell and by then _a lot_ of green could only rescue her."

When they were walking away, Linda yelled at them, "Yeah? Well, maybe next time you don't have to turn Mr. West into a conduit for your haughty, wet blanket, lily-livered act and just tell it to my face. I'm far from the level of illiteracy, mind you!"

As much as Wally wanted to laugh, he covered Linda's mouth with his hand. She looked crossly at him but he said, "Keep riling them, they might just do what they said to you through me."

Calming down a bit, Linda pinched the bridge of her nose. "Sorry, they really are pompous jerks for doing that. It's like they think I'm dim-witted."

"Maybe it's because the direct approach didn't seem to work for you…" Wally pointed out.

Linda scowled at him. "I really wanted to get my story… My story!"

"What?"

"Quick, quick. Tell me all about it."

"What?"

Exasperation creeping into her face, she said as calmly as she could, "The dead victim. How'd it happen? I need details concerning the bank robbery and how the police eased it down. I also need to know how was he killed. I hear that a ricochet…" While demanding information from him and simultaneously leading him to her cameraman, Wally inwardly smiled.

'Hmmm… commanding and sweet. Still as cute as our—Flash's first date. Oooh… what's that new smell on her hair… is it orange or lemon? And those eyes… I can't seem to stop looking at her eyes…' 

"Mr. West? Are you even listening to me?" she asked accusingly as she fixed her hair.

"Of course, and call me Wally. I don't much like using formalities, you know?"

Linda smiled brightly at him. "Of course you don't. Of course you don't."

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"Maybe the Amazons are right about men," Dinah said as she leaned back on the brick wall.

"Which one? The fact that they're hoarding snakes or ignorant pigs?" Helena added as she played idly with her crossbow's trigger.

"Pretty much both," Dinah smirked. "You wouldn't believe how suffocating Ollie is."

Helena hollowly laughed at Dinah's complaint. "So you despise the way guys constantly flit around you? Try Q. He lacks all of it."

Dinah shifted her gaze on Helena. "Q, eh? I wonder…"

Helena waited with a curious face.

"How's he in bed?" Dinah asked with a mischievous wink in her eyes.

Helena started to laugh, and she didn't care if a few passer-bys found Justice League's most feared martial artist and one of Gotham's ruthless vigilantes hanging out together in an alley, talking about how their men have done their deeds.

"Initially… he was awkward that it absolutely turned me on," Helena admitted with a flighty tone. "The second time was mind-blowing." She stifled a chuckle. "And guess what I found under his bed."

"What?" Dinah asked eagerly.

"Erotica for Dummies."

Dinah laughed so hard that a few people stared apprehensively into the dark alleyway.

When she finally composed herself, Dinah said, "Wanted to impress his darling, eh?"

Helena shook her head with a cheery sigh. "When I showed him that I'd found his latest treasure, he freaked out." She started to remember his shocked green eyes. "The sight of his reaction made me hornier."

"You've… got… to be kidding," Dinah said through breathless bursts. She had to clutch her abdomen that ached tremendously… but in a good way. To further stop the pain from asphyxiating her lungs, she knelt down, still leaning on the wall until she could breathe steadily again.

Huntress just stood across from her, chuckling at Dinah's amused expression. "So… how's Sickly Sweet doing?"

Dinah smiled. "Sickly Sweet was good… very good. And expected."

"Oh?"

"He's a ladies' man. You could only expect him to be experienced and breath-taking. And the latter was literal."

Still unsatisfied, Helena asked, "That's it? There's gotta be more."

Dinah had to laugh. "Sorry, Helena, but Sickly Sweet is great in bed and too caring… and an insufferable brainiac." She only shrugged her shoulders when Huntress scowled at her.

"That's no fair. You're keeping something from me."

Dinah grinned at Helena. "Or I could tell you that when he saw my butterfly tattoo on my butt cheek, he couldn't keep his eyes off it."

Helena laughed.

Dinah continued, "Well, he was stunned for the most part of the evening that I, for once, dominated the man."

Helena had to lean on the garbage can near her with ecstatic revelation crossing over her face. "You're an uncontrollable feminist."

"And you're usually horny."

Both of them laughed until they checked the time to see that it was already past midnight.

"Just when everything was getting exciting…" Helena said as she climbed onto her bike and brought it to roaring life. "I have to teach tomorrow."

"Justice League in three hours," Dinah shook her head wearily.

"Then quit," Helena said, one foot on the floor to stop her bike from falling over as she waited for Dinah to wear her helmet.

"I don't work that way, Helena," Dinah said with a smirk.

Helena smirked back at her. "Fine by me."

When both of them were ready, they looked at each other, challenge etched in their faces.

"Ten bucks on who wins."

"Deal." Dinah leaned forward while Helena showed her an inverted thumbs-up.

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"Hey, have you seen Diana lately?" Bruce asked John as they were walking along the steel, cool hallway.

John's forehead crinkled in worried expression as he replied, "I was wondering the same thing. I've tried to reach her through JL line, but she's not responding, and she hasn't punched in yet, which is so unlike her."

"I know," Bruce said, scowling. "Something's off."

"Well, Diana isn't the only one who's off, but a fourth of the league…"

Bruce turned to see where John's line of sight was aimed at. The two of the them watched as a few of their colleagues made a manageable throng around Diana in front of the elevators. But apparently Diana wasn't their focal attention. Instead, a chattering brunette who resembled Diana's features and physique stole the limelight that Bruce also kept staring at her as John wondered who she was.

"Troia," he ultimately muttered in recognition.

John turned to him inquisitively. "You know her? How?"

"She was one of the Titans before they disseminated," Bruce answered. "She's Diana's sister."

"That explains their striking resemblance… but what is she doing here?"

"Do you think I know that when I just saw her now?" he retorted gruffly. He walked away from John's side and strode straight toward the way they came from.

"What's eating him?" John muttered to himself.

"Donna!" John's wandering thoughts were instantly vaporized when Wally's loud, ecstatic exclaim resounded along the hallway.

"Wa—Flash!" Donna shot back happily when he _whooshed_ before her and hugged her tightly.

When they finally let go of each other, Flash asked, "How are you? What's happening? Why are you here?"

By now, the small crowd dissipated and Flash, Donna, and Diana were left alone. Flash took a short glance at Diana and greeted her, "Hi, D. Didn't notice you awhile ago. Where'd you gone? Oooh… nice necklace."

But Diana glared at him sharply and said, "Go away, you tardy-gaited, onion-eyed varlet!"

Flummoxed, Wally said warily, "Okay… didn't get that, but are you all right, D?"

"I don't pity your barren skull, you infectious, pox-marked git!" Diana yelled at him unceremoniously.

Wally anxiously looked at Donna, who was giggling hysterically that she nearly fell to the floor.

"If you think this is funny, Donna, I think it's bizarre. Too weird in fact that I think…" Diana squinted her eyes vehemently at him. "I should go."

"Wally—wait! Haha! Stop! Hahahahaha. Hear… ha! Me… out…" she said between chuckling gasps. "It's a long… story."

"Okay… what's going on?"

"Let's talk in a room where we won't be interrupted, huh?"

"Sure," Wally smiled at Donna but frowned when Diana stepped between her sister and Wally, pushing Wally curtly in the process of starting their way along the hall.

When they were by their lonesome in Flash's room, which was filled with news clippings about him, Donna then giddily told him everything. From the time when Diana returned to Themyscyra for quiet reflection to their visit to Cupid's splendid abode, she disclosed every detail to her friend.

When she was finished, Wally gaped at her. Then he started to laugh. "You've got to be kidding. That's like… whoa…"

"Haha… I know," she said as she leaned her head on the table. "It never fails to crack me up." She glanced at Diana's silver necklace—it was the orb's disguise—and grinned.

"I can't wait to see Bruce's reaction to Diana's grouchiness. He'll fumble like a mad rabbit if he hears what Diana has to say to him," Donna added.

"But I bet his jam-packed skull could understand what Diana has to yell at him… where'd she learn that stuff anyway?"

"It's how we describe men in Themyscyra," she beamed at him. When he only frowned, she said, "It's funny when you're not a guy though."

"I bet," Wally said sarcastically. "That's harsh, Don."

Donna patted his hand, which prompted Diana to stand up brusquely and leave the room without another word.

"She's just as cold as the Bats," Wally commented with a shiver.

"That's the plan," Donna patted his hand. "So, Wally, how's life?"

Wally leaned back on his bed with a satisfied sigh, his hands crossed behind his head. "I'm a stud! Could you believe that, Don?"

"Not really," she said with a perky tone and leaned closer. When Wally just smiled dreamily at the ceiling, she rolled her eyes and asked, "Well…? Aren't you going to tell me?"

"Which sounds better, Mrs. Beatriz West or Mrs. Linda West?"

"Oh sweet Hera, you're two-timing them? That's… that's… like crazy!" she playfully slapped his rock-hard six-pack.

He eagerly sat up and said, "I know! So… what do you think? Which one?"

"Wally… I don't even know them. Do you?" Her face was beginning to turn serious, and Wally knew what was coming his way: more advice and less fun.

"Well… I went out on a date with the both of them… separately," he said tentatively. "They're both gorgeous, fun, and _irresistible_."

Donna smiled. "I'm sure they are. But seriously, Wally… one date each? You gotta give them more if you wanna know who's the one. And contemplating on whose name sounds better with the flourishing West lineage doesn't sum much." She shook his head like she was his older sister. "Although… Mrs. Linda West sounds cute." When Flash's huge grin couldn't please her more, she quickly asked, "What do they do anyway?"

"Beatriz is Fire… she's Justice League. And Linda's a reporter from Central City News. And just hours back, I asked Linda on a date."

"And…?"

"She said she's dating somebody else already… And hearing that, it doesn't ease my guilt of virtually two-timing them. I'm not really a cheat, Don."

"I know that, Wally. You're a good guy," she said assuredly. After a short pause of silence, she asked, "She means the Flash, right?"

"Oh yeah," he said almost wistfully. When Donna was about to speak, he interrupted her. "But there's Fire, who's still very, very available," he finished with a contented yawn.

Donna mulled over this for awhile. By the sound of his voice, she knew that he was also very much interested in Linda. "But that doesn't mean you should stop right there. There's a huge chance that when you keep pushing, she'll start to see that Wally West isn't just a handsome forensic scientist."

"But I'm really not just a handsome forensic scientist." He darted to the door. "I'm the city's most loved superhero, the Flash."

"No doubt about that." She flipped a lock of black hair behind her ear. "But she doesn't know it, does she? If you like her to know just Wally West, and that doesn't include letting her know you're the Flash, just be yourself, you know?"

"But Beatriz isn't that bad—"

He was cut short when the door slipped open and Beatriz herself stood at the doorway.

"Wally—" She stopped when she saw Donna sitting on Flash's bed. "Who are you?" she asked quite rudely.

Donna's eyebrows shot up in shock, but she said, "My name's Donna Troy, friend of Wally's, Wonder Woman's sister. And you are?"

"Beatriz, but everyone here knows me as Fire. I'm sorry about sounding rude, but if you were in my place, I'm sure you'd have felt the same way."

"It's fine," Donna said with a flippant wave of her hand.

Fire then turned and started to approach Wally coquettishly, "Wally, could I talk to you?" Without turning around, she asked Donna, "That is… if you don't mind Ms. Troy—"

"That's Troia for you."

"Okay, sorry," she turned apologetically at Donna. "Mind giving Wally and me some alone time?" She leaned her hands on his chest, making Wally flush like a boiled tomato on the spot.

Before Donna walked out of the room, she gave Wally a disgruntled look when Fire was looking elsewhere and then she impulsively turned left as the door closed behind her.

"You really didn't have to ask her to go just yet…" he said with a sigh. But he quickly put that thought away and grinned at Fire. "So… what do you have to say that's awfully important?"

"This." She tiptoed toward him so she could touch his lips with hers while her hands fiercely wrapped around his frozen neck. "You're quite stiff." Her hands languidly massaged the small of his neck, making him tremble with inept respite.

"Aw… Quite," he said with a blush creeping fast to his cheeks. Still massaging his neck, she kissed him deeply. When she let go, Wally felt like crumbling to the ground with sheer ecstasy.

Before she could lock lips with him again, he murmured drowsily, "You got good hands."

Quite surprised, she noticed that he wasn't looking at her directly… but was falling asleep.

With a disappointed sigh, she managed to pull him to the bed and settle him there as she tentatively left him snoring loudly.

"That's the last time I ask 'love' advice from Ice," she muttered to herself.

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"Looks like a breach in UBS's security system… in Switzerland" Mr. Terrific observed the screen that showed earth's violated areas. Without wasting time, Mr. Terrific started serving orders as he typed in the coordinates from the Watchtower.

"Batman," Refusing to take his eyes off the active screen, Mr. Terrific continued, "You lead the team. I assume you know the organization's blueprints." His fingers were a clacking blur as he automatically designated which location they were to be teleported to.

Batman hovered beside him and checked the security cameras in the building—an advantage the Justice League attained—and saw Luthor's crew creating chaos amidst screaming personnel and injured guards.

"Typical," he mumbled. He turned around and started calling names. "Vixen, Green Arrow, Stargirl and S.T.R.I.P.E., you distract Luthor's minions while Shayera and Wonder Woman… you two know what to do once we get there," He glanced at the teleporter below. "Let's go—"

"Eat a crocodile, you cankerous, swag-bellied gudgeon!" Diana abruptly countered. Everyone present in the room stared oddly at Diana, who then added, "I don't need a male such as your dour stature to order me around."

She glared evilly at Batman and was about to say something else when Donna unexpectedly appeared behind Diana. "Haha! There you are. I've been looking for you everywhere, Sister. Um…" she focused on Mr. Terrific's confused face instead of Batman's brooding curiosity and said, "Excuse her for awhile, eh? Thanks, bye."

She nudged Diana to accompany her out the door before any of them attempted to question Diana's weird state.

As Diana led the way silently to her room—considering that Donna pleaded to her mercilessly to take her there—Donna sighed heavily.

'This is no fun,' she thought to herself. 'Having to watch my sister's scary move all the time…' But she was thankful that Wally was on her side. A small smile formed in her lips. He always understood her, and if she remembered well, he was even the first to greet her with sincere eagerness when she decided to join the Titans.

As soon as Donna fell back on the bed, Diana asked, "Sister, why do we have to be here?"

Confused, Donna sat up. "Uh… what do you mean?"

Diana approached her sister and sat down. "Why must we help the Man's World when they discriminate and alienate their own world—and they treat our world just the same." She looked sternly at Donna, making Donna want to tear off the necklace at that instant. "I do not wish to have close relations with any of those brute men."

"But, Sister, they haven't done anything to you…" Donna felt an uneasy sensation in her gut. She was getting the feeling that the orb had completely erased Diana's memory of ever founding the Justice League and that fact inwardly bothered her ever since Diana insulted Wally when they first arrived. It sounded fine when Cupid first told them about it—that Diana would appear aloof in the presence of men—but now, it too gave her the goose bumps. She suddenly missed her sister's old self.

Diana narrowed her eyes at Donna. "Have you forgotten what Mother taught us, Donna?"

"No!" Fear and unexplained impulse throbbed in her veins as she saw Diana's frightful change before her very eyes. Without further hesitation, she reached for the necklace and pulled it off.

As if a bolt of lightning struck her, Diana quivered and fell back, her eyes shut tightly as if an excruciating headache was burning in her head.

"Ooww… what ha… happened?" She touched her head and closed her eyes. The pain was terrible. It was as if a boulder full of her memories came tumbling down her, and she couldn't move. "I…"

"Shhh… don't speak. Cupid warned you that it would hurt." She gently brushed her sister's hair away from her face. "You want anything? Tea?"

"I want to know what just happened," she said as she tried to sit up, but Donna pushed her down.

"Don't move, I'll tell you," she began with an uncharacteristic sad tone. "You insulted Wally, then the other Justice League guys. And I… I got scared that I might lose you…" She looked down to see Diana's prone figure lying helplessly beside her. "Cupid was right that the result would be nasty… so I just took it off because it was really spooky."

Diana knew that Donna wasn't the only one who was worried about the whole Orb of Apathy scheme. Before they left for earth, Cupid had warned her for the nth time that the orb would take away the memory that had led her to feel extreme emotion towards the person who made her feel sad or angry. Or both. In other words, she wouldn't just forget about her love for Batman… but the beginnings of her interest in men would also drift away. Admiring and desiring to protect the Man's World was the inception of her eventual admiration for Bruce. That's why the orb erased her memory of liking men—because it was the root of digression against Amazon principle and the cause of her current broken spirit.

Besides, there was nothing to worry much as long as Donna promised to watch over her if things came to worse. And she would be safe if she only wore the orb within twenty-four hours. So, she was practically safe and sane deep down… right?

Before she could reply, Donna stood up and said, "Don't say anything. I'll get your tea first." She smiled at Diana's pained face. "It might help soothe your nerves a bit. And an ice pack."

As she walked in the direction of the cafeteria, she sensed silent footsteps following her along the hallway. She immediately turned to see Batman stopping in his tracks. She could see that he cursed under his breath and she sneered at him.

"Stalking me now, huh?" she asked mockingly. "Don't bother, I'm not showing any of my weaknesses to anybody, and that includes you." She resumed her stride but stopped when Batman asked,

"What has Diana done to herself?"

She glared at him and retorted angrily, "Why should you care? It's not like you do."

Bruce only stared with a stunned expression as Donna walked away from him. He pondered over Donna's hurtful words. '_But I do care. You just don't understand. None of you do…'_

He knew Diana well enough that she had done something to herself. And he also knew that she must have flown home for comfort from his painful words to her and incidentally had done something either extraordinarily good or bad. But he was betting on the latter.

He never meant his bitter words really, it was his anger talking, the Batman shielding the emotional, kind-heartened, soft…

Since he wasn't allowed to set foot on Diana's home, it would take ages for him to unravel the truth that laid behind her sudden cold exterior. He had to find out quick through another medium, unless he would rather live his years full of bitterness towards his colleagues and himself.

He fished out his tiny communicator from his utility belt and dialed a number he thought he had already removed from his memory.

"If you're salesmen trying to coax me into buying your cheese biscuits again, I swear I'll dump them all in a boiling cauldron and hang you above it, and let's see how you like it when your advertising crap is being pushed in your face—"

"Dick, I thought I told you to stop snapping at salesmen before they flare and bombard you with their _advertising crap_. Your reaction just instigates them to keep teasing you," Bruce said, his voice almost sounding fatherly.

Silence dominated the line, and Bruce knew the reason. His eyebrows twitched in frustration and he barked, "Dick!"

"Now that's the tone I remember," he answered wryly.

Bruce nearly cut off the connection, but as much as he hated admitting it, he needed help. Especially from the former Robin.

"Well, you better zip your sarcasm because you need to do something for me."

"The Batman asking for a favor? Wow… that's pretty rare—"

"I'd shut up now if I were you and start listening closely to what the Batman has to say, understood?" Bruce moved away from the hall and started along the route to his room.

"Whatever your Grouchiness has to say…" Nightwing shifted the phone to his other ear. "What's your _favor_ about?"

"Don't push it, Dick," Bruce grumbled in the mouthpiece. When he was safely in his room, he continued, "I want you to catch up with an old friend of yours."

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To be continued…

You like? No like? Why? Review please… XD


	6. Love misses

Author's Note: I'm sorry if the orb's purpose was a bit confusing in Chapter 5. I edited some parts there… especially when Donna's frightful understanding urged her to act rather rashly. Y'all might understand it more if you peruse Chapter 5's Donna and Diana's brief conversation.

Just to give you guys a heads-up, my story is fabricated after Season 5 of JLU. So if you watched Ancient History, you would know what John's choice was and how Shayera acted around it.

**And how can I forget but say, thank you, thank you, and a million more intangible hugs to my lovely, perceptive readers, namely Lavender Gaia, CatGirl R and S Fan, Skite, Super Chocolate Bear, trunksgirl85, and ccabello. I salute ya'll. **

**Enjoy!**

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Disregarding the need to look behind him, Batman continued his pensive reading on Greek Mythology. By the sound of her confident stride entering the ultramodern yet mind-numbing room, he already knew who yearned his quiet company.

"Hope I'm not interrupting," Shayera Hol propped her weight on the back of Bruce's swiveling chair. She took a quick glance at Bruce's book and started to wonder. "Didn't know you were interested in mythical prose written by long-dead authors."

Bruce shut the book and supported his head on his closed fist, his attention not entirely focused on the psychedelic screen in front of him. "Reading it for extensive research."

Looking down, Shayera arched her brow at his Batcowl. "I'd say you're concerned about Diana's weird makeover just now."

Bruce tilted his head to face Shayera, frowned when she smiled cockily at him. "And I'd say the reason for your current visit is to seek consolation from John's resolute cold shoulder," Bruce retorted while hiding the book under the table. If he didn't know any better, Shayera was still deeply in love with John, and the sentiment was reciprocal on the other end. And yet… even after discovering that their son's existence was suspended on their future-related decision, John chose Vixen, his reason vague and belied by false love.

"At least I'm not hiding like a spineless superhero who finds solace in night prowls and books all day." Shayera grabbed a lone chair near the door and plopped beside the Batman. "I know you're worried about Diana…all of us are. But—"

"It doesn't concern me and Diana, Shayera," Batman retorted gruffly. "I'm just… worried for a friend, that's all."

"And sometimes, there's an affectionate inception for all of it, may it be mere friendship or… really, love."

Bruce turned to Shayera, his lips pursed in a fed-up line. Shayera playfully rolled her eyes dramatically and patted Bruce's stiff hand. "But we'll not broach on that subject… for now." She crossed her leg over the other and added wistfully, "John's been… quiet lately."

"Couldn't agree more. I think he may have lost touch with reality."

"Hey," Shayera slapped Batman's arm and said, "You're usually the one who gazes into space during most part of your shifts," she leaned her head back to stare at the ceiling. "He's just like that because… because…"

"He loves you and he knows that you two have a future together, but he's afraid of letting Mari go."

Shayera blew out a croaky sigh, said, "I think… I should stop here. Raising this matter doesn't progress anything between me and John." She started to leave, but Bruce added,

"You both know that you have an ordained family to take care of… and acting strong on that fact isn't supposed to depress you if it hasn't happened just yet. The time will come for you and John… the right time when both of you are clear and certain about the future." He lightly gave her an assured smile. "It's natural for anyone like you to want to rush this sort of thing, especially when you have something special to lose."

Shayera smiled appreciatively at him. "The more I talk to you, the more I understand why Diana fell for you."

Ignoring his scowling protest, she left the room after saying, "Maybe you shouldn't let that special someone fade away like she never existed too, eh?"

Bruce idly retrieved his book from underneath the table and flipped the pages without looking at its content. "Easy for you to say, I have nothing to lose in my future."

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"How's your noddle?" Donna teased as she brushed Diana's hair with her hand.

Diana ignored Donna's enforced cheery mood, sipped her tea consolingly. She knew that Donna was only mitigating the situation by joking around and imitating the Flash's jargon. She gave Donna a blasé glance, then focused on the brown, tasteless pool in her cup.

Donna grimaced. "Even without the orb, you're starting to act cold." She gave up and strode to the bed, where she sat down, tossed and turned with whelping squawks, and finally blew out an infuriated sigh.

"Squealing like a brat won't change my mind about this, Donna," Diana lightly warned when Donna stopped riling on the cushiony bed.

Donna tentatively sat up, shrugged her shoulders. "Worth the futile try." She abruptly stood up when a knock thumped on the metallic door.

"Who dares knock on heaven's door?" Donna sang playfully as she neared the door, her ear pressed on the cold surface.

"Uh… Wally, the hypothetical pinhead, my divine queen," Wally played along from the other side.

"Ah… well then, my hypothetical pinhead, you may enter the sacred chamber," Donna grinned at Diana's direction, but was only met with a not-working smile from Diana.

Rebuffing Diana's feigned nonchalance, Donna opened the door, laughed when she saw Wally's hesitant smile when he spotted Diana sitting on the table with a teacup in hand.

"Don't worry, Wally, I'm not going to barrage you with insults this time," Diana chuckled at his unsure stance and walked towards Wally to show that she wasn't wearing the necklace.

Seeing that her neck was free of the atrocious doohickey, he hugged Diana in a tight embrace. Diana did the same, nearly choking Wally with her suffocating grip.

When they let go of each other, Donna said, "You better bask in it, Wally, 'cuz it ain't gonna last long." Donna almost closed the door but a hand suddenly shot through the opening and she cried back in surprise.

Wally and Diana turned to see Nightwing standing in the doorway, his relaxed, cocky shoulders leaning on the doorframe. He grinned when he saw Donna's stumbled form on the floor.

"I thought Amazons are trained to frighten the pants off me than the other way 'round," he joked as he held out his hand for Donna. But Donna overlooked it with a haughty frown and helped herself up.

"And we Amazon princesses are taught not to regress ourselves by talking to booby men such as your intellectual status." Donna stuck her tongue out.

Nightwing laughed and platonically pinched Donna's jutted chin between his gentle fingers. "You haven't changed a bit," he said, his masked eyes softening.

"And the same goes for you, ye boor!" She mischievously slapped his hand away and cocked her head to scrutinize his lean, muscled figure that had been handsomely molded over the years, his height leveled to hers.

"Dick, my man! We haven't exchanged hellos yet and you're already swapping the Crimson Speedster with the conspiring nymph here," he gave Dick a hearty slap in the arm and was quickly returned with Dick's retaliated punch in the arm.

"Men… all bravado and clouts. No wonder your masculine population is growing scarce… both physically and psychologically," Donna said as she twirled a lock of hair around her finger.

Wally and Dick exchanged glances. Wally then blurted out, "Oh c'mon… that's not true. Those… those…"

"Homosexuals? Bisexuals? Transsexuals? Lesbians," Dick filled in for Wally.

"Yeah, them!" Wally brightened but gave Dick a wary look. "They're just deprived of the right kind of love, that's why. But Dick and me… we're just exuding it… that's why we're studs!"

"And I guess it's no wonder why more men die of STD all because their dominant bludgeons are just groping for every woman they come across with," Diana said with a naughty wink in her eyes, leaving both men blushing furiously.

She left the room, Donna following in tow. When they were striding along the hallway, alone and out of earshot, Donna asked, "I thought women are more affected by those kind of diseases no matter how many times one man's bludgeon whack… well, you know…" Donna couldn't help but redden, which made her stop short.

"The effect could be highly mutual," Diana assured. "But… I was only exaggerating that men die of it only because it was fun shaking those two up a bit." Diana giggled at Donna's astonished glow. "Plus, it's curable. I'll give them a minute or so to realize their assumed blunder."

"Naughty, naughty, Sister." Donna wagged her finger in Diana's face.

Diana laughed loudly that when a few men saw her bright face instead of her former chilling gravity, they did nothing but stare, curious and confused to the bone.

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Stepping out of the shower's steaming fragrance of newly washed skin, she unknowingly went to the adjacent bedroom and checked her messages on the answering machine.

You have no messages— 

Before the robotic response could aggravate her, she pressed the button to shut if off, and wheeled around to her kitchen, her silky bathrobe barely concealing her voluptuous figure. Helena didn't even know who she was expecting to call. She had no family, she barely indulged in mingling gossips, and she just put the pause switch on Vic.

She scoffed at herself when she realized her missing him. She forcefully shook her head, receiving a few dizzying blows, dumped her usual TV dinner in the microwave and subsequently downed a quarter of beer from the refrigerator.

Just when the anticipated _ping_ called her to her ready food, the phone rang. Before she caught herself, she sprinted to her room and hastily pressed the earpiece to her ear, her hello sounding brusque and loud.

"Helena?" She nearly fell to the floor with utter disappointment and irrational anger with herself. She leaned her forehead on the drawer's blunt edge, lightly thumped her head on the wood, then answered, "What's up, Di?"

She instantly fell seriously silent when she clearly heard Dinah's depressed sniffs and congested voice. "I neeeed… can you… _sniffs_… come meet me in the alley?"

"Not when you have the voice of a dying cow, I'm going directly to your place," Helena ended the connection before Dinah could oppose her resolve.

Walking to her wardrobe, she only scolded herself, soliloquizing angrily as she pulled on a strapless blouse.

"Like, who were you expecting to call, Helena? Vic…?" She crackled in forced laughter. "If that ever happens…" She dabbed red lipstick on her puckered lips and quickly grabbed her blue sweater from the closet.

She looked back again before closing her apartment's door.

As soon as her footsteps faded away down the dilapidated staircase, her bedroom's phone continuously rang until the voice mail kicked in.

"_Sorry, but I'm currently nowhere near the phone, so don't push me. I'll call you when I feel like it. Just leave a message if you must." Beeeep…_

But before the message was finished, the connection died.

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"Next time you plan on an impromptu meeting, make sure you don't sound worse than usual," Helena handed Dinah another tissue from the box. "For a second there I thought you were crying your nose out because of your green boyfriend."

"I tried to tell you it wasn't necessary, but you forced yourself into this." She blew her clogged nose into the tissue, making Helena grimace.

"I think I'm going to the kitchen to make some soup." Helena moved from the room to the kitchen. She first checked the fridge for some eggs or chicken, perhaps canned soup. But to her surprise, all the icebox contained were wrapped leftovers from fancy restaurants—she saw the logos on the plastics. She then opened the freezer only to find the conventional stash she also saw in her own freezer—TV dinners.

"The girl has a fancy condo, a furious bike and attitude, but what she seriously doesn't have is some decent food," She closed the door. "At least I have some eggs and milk back home."

"I'm sorry if I'm food-deprived, but I usually order Chinese takeout… or eat breakfast up in the Watchtower." Dinah landed on the stool beside the kitchen's island.

Helena remembered seeing greenish-grey stuff on the leftover food. "And do you finish all your food?"

Through her groggy voice, Dinah nodded. "I try my best to leave my takeout boxes morsel-free." She leaned her cheek on the marble top's cool surface. "I hate this cold… it's killing me. And so is Ollie." Out of nowhere, she placed a towel over her head. "We had another argument."

"Oh…" Helena concealed her find in the moldy fridge and sat down on the vacant stools. "What'd he do?"

Dinah groaned through the towel. "It's not his fault. It's mine." She looked up. "He called earlier to see if I was okay—I'm obviously sick that's why I didn't make it to my shift this morning." She muffled her sneeze with a tissue. "I snapped at him because he just couldn't put the phone down. I was tired, sleepy, my head ached, my face was puffy—"

"And that's the weirdest cold symptom I've ever seen," Helena butted in as she gazed at Dinah's red, slightly bloated face. "You look terrible. Seriously."

"I know," Dinah frowned at Helena. Helena abruptly stood up and miraculously found a teapot in one of the cupboards, filled it with water, and set it on the stove. "Don't mind me, just continue your story. I'll try to mentally extend my luck… I might probably discover a hidden hoard of ginger or lemon somewhere in this massive kitchen."

Dinah ignored her and continued, "We both snapped at each other. He got fed up with me for being too snippy. He even forgot that I was sick in the first place and said something like me acting so selfishly and discontent…"

"Two hundred points for bull's eye!" Helena cut in as she plucked an empty container off the shelf.

"Ignoring you… I think I might have lost my last chance for a decent apology with Ollie." In spite of her hoarse voice, Helena could decipher almost perfectly that Dinah was remorseful with herself and… lost without Ollie beside her. She had to admit that she felt the same way with Vic. She missed the way he hugged her from behind, his warm, gentle fingers entwined around her tiny, firm waist, his lips nuzzling her nape, his deep voice whispering into her ear…

"Helena? You still in my kitchen?"

"Oh yeah." She switched off the stove, staring disappointedly into the boiling pot. "This is useless. Hot water couldn't even scratch the phlegm barrier in your too congested throat. You sound like you need something stronger."

"Chicken soup and contrived green tea from Mr. Wang's could work for me."

Helena shrugged her shoulders. "Then give me his phone number."

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"You rang?" Dick inquired through his phone while walking languidly to the cafeteria. He took a thorough peek in the room to ascertain that Donna was somewhere else. "Why can't I meet you in the room? You know, you still haven't explained to me why you need me to unearth some details with Donna. What do you—?"

"Do you want to refresh your ties with Troia or not?" Bruce snapped at Dick's ear. When Dick did nothing but frown and sauntered silently down the hall to continue his search, Bruce murmured an apology.

Bruce swiveled in his chair, his hands covering his face. "I just need to know what's wrong with… Diana."

"Diana?" Dick mulled over this for awhile. "You think she's acting weird lately?" Nightwing poked his head into a vacant gym room. "The first thing I did when I got here was to greet Donna and Wally. Then I saw Diana. She seemed friendly as usual. Nothing off if you ask me."

Bruce sat up in his chair, his eyebrows knitted together in slight bewilderment. "She didn't insult you? She didn't seem arrogantly cold to you?"

"The only one I know who fits that description is you," Nightwing said dryly. When he heard Bruce swore under his breath, he added, "But like I said, Diana's as gentle as a bunny. I don't think there's anything wrong with her."

After a moment's silence, Dick asked, "Why are you ignoring me?"

"If you're getting something out from Donna and if she sees us together, she'll become suspicious and your cover is blown." Bruce turned around to see Dr. Fate entering the room. "Talk to you later."

He ended the connection before Dick had the chance to respond. "And why didn't I see that coming?"

He tucked his phone away, whistled tunelessly while he unobtrusively watched for any sign of Donna's presence. Just then, he heard loud footsteps echoing along the hallway—and he recognized well enough to whom those steps belonged to.

He jumped into a shady corner, prayed to God that he was perfectly concealed from getting caught in the act of voyeurism. He watched quietly as Donna strode past him. But something stuck him as incredibly odd. She was frowning. Donna Troy rarely ever emitted any signs of sadness or negativity—anything that could prompt muscles to scrunch into an aged expression.

He moved very subtly so as not to apprehend his stealthy presence. When he was close enough to smell her perfumed hair, she abruptly turned around, her brows arched questioningly.

"Dick?"

"Donna…" He straightened his bent form, and grinned. "You got me."

Unconvinced, she crossed her arms over her chest. "Oh, I can see that. Why are you creeping up behind me?"

"Just wanted to make sure that you're not as unsuspecting as I thought you've become," Dick said as he inched closer. "You seem down lately. What's wrong?"

She only shook her head. "It's nothing. I was only thinking of something trivial." Her contemplative eyes suddenly changed into an archetype of exuberance. "So… how's Batgirl?"

Nightwing started to blush, his tongue a heavy roll of gaucherie. "I… well… uh… you know… she's really great!"

Donna laughed, pulled Nightwing down the hall in the direction of the canteen. "Not good enough, Dick. You gotta give the girl more than just 'great'! I need details."

"But there's nothing much to say…" Dick groaned sheepishly.

Still dragging him, Donna commented, "Stop being such a kid, Dick, and grow up."

"You wouldn't believe how tempting it is to tell you that," he muttered, was appreciative when Donna didn't hear him.

When they arrived in the barely occupied room, Donna sat Nightwing down in a corner table and told him she would return with some food—and God knows how long that would take her to decide how many edibles she has planned to gobble down mercilessly.

After long minutes of waiting, Donna came back with a plate heaped of donuts, bread, eggs, bacon, salad, soup, and two Styrofoam cups of hot coffee. She pushed the cup into Dick's outstretched hand, careful not to spill its contents.

As she offered Dick some food, which he declined, she started chattering some things related to Themyscyra. As always, Dick listened intently to what his friend had anything to say. Even if it wasn't related to Diana's so-called unusual behavior, Dick was too engrossed to digress from Donna's exciting tales of her homeland's fights and adventure.

When she was finished, Donna stared at Dick expectantly. Confused, he rebuffed her stare with a simple 'what'.

Putting down her fork, she asked, "Is it true that you're proposing to Babs?"

He was sipping his coffee when she asked him that question. Expectantly that caught him by surprise, thus, he started to cough relentlessly with coffee choking him. Donna stood up to pat his back, which did help him breathe normally again as he ignored the pain that vibrated his hammered back.

"Thanks," he whizzed as Donna gave him a glass of cool water. When he was calm enough, he asked, "Who told you that?"

"I'll tell you if you affirm that whatever you are about to say is the truth." Diana looked at him naughtily.

Dick rolled his eyes and leaned back, his face taking a serious front. "No, that's a complete lie." He squinted his eyes at her. "I'm guessing Wally _lied_ to you."

"Why blame Wally when I have so many sources?"

"That's because Wally is the only one who has closer connections with you… and he can twist the truth sometimes."

"Oh, but they say rumors are half-truths."

"Those are jokes. Not rumors. An alien landing in my backyard is a rumor around the neighborhood. Wally crushing on you is a joke." Seeing Donna's gawked reaction made Dick chuckle.

"You didn't know he had a crush on you one time?"

"Not really, no." Donna lifted her forkful of donut to her mouth. "I always thought he liked Raven."

"You're acquisition of gossips is so warped that I don't think I want to know how you got them." Dick gulped down the remaining contents of coffee and put the empty cup on the table with a satisfied sigh. "So… how's Diana?"

"What do you mean?" she asked quite suspiciously.

Dick feigned puzzlement, asked, "Uh… did I say something wrong?"

Blinking several times while looking at Dick narrowly, she asked, "Why don't you ask the Batman? After all, you're his _son_."

Dick squinted his eyes at her. "We've lost touch since he sent me to Bludhaven. Are you hiding something from me, Donna?"

Maybe Bruce was right all along. Something was definitely up with Donna… or Diana. Donna was never wary about disclosing information… so long as it wasn't dead serious. In addition, what was Donna doing in the Watchtower? Didn't she mention earlier that Themyscyra needed her nowadays?

"I have nothing to hide, mind you. It's just that… why do you suddenly care? How do I know that the Batman didn't call you unexpectedly to check up on me?"

Forgetting that Bruce called him for a _sociable mission_, Dick retorted, "Is there something wrong with me asking about your sister's welfare. She is your sister, and you're my friend. It's just proper for me to be concerned. And to answer your latter question, what does Bruce have anything on this? You never reacted this way before whenever his name or anything or anyone related to him suddenly popped up in front of you." He touched Donna's hand. "Donna, are you sure you're okay?"

She didn't know why she was so edgy when he broached on that subject. It must be because of his close relations with the Batman that had caused her to act rather rashly. She was just afraid that she might betray her sister indirectly if the Batman ever discovered Diana's implicitly vengeful intentions. But Dick wasn't the Batman. And like he said, he lost touch with his foster father. She looked into his masked eyes… was he telling her the truth? Was he joking? Lying could be easily executed these days.

But Dick was her good friend. She knew she could trust him, just as how she trusted the Flash not too long ago.

"I might not be fine, Dick," She looked into his covered eyes once more. "Do you swear under our friendship that this would not go anywhere but between us?"

Without hesitation Dick nodded his head.

And so, Donna slowly told him everything. From the instance when she felt initially excited about the orb prospect to the unsettling moment when she suddenly felt worried for her sister's sanity now.

A true friend since joining the Titans, she knew Dick could be trusted not to blurt this out to the one man who shouldn't know until he tasted hurt million times over and over again…

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To be continued… 

**Author's note: So sorry for taking long to update. I was pretty busy these past few days. Hope you guys understand. XD**

**You know you want to… don't be shy… just lead your arrow to the 'Go' button below this and send me a review eh! I very much appreciate any comments, suggestions… anything! **


	7. Love dilemmas

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He ran into the colossal wooden doors, his tiny fingers fumbling with the iron doorknobs. He almost squealed with impatience when the doors seemed to prohibit him from crossing the threshold, as its heavy weight seemed to immobilize him.

He banged once. Twice. Too impatient to turn to the mild-mannered approach, he screeched, "Alfred!" His face was red with too much excitement and his voice intensified with bratty haste.

"Alfred!" he called for the fourth time.

At last, the unshakable doors for an eight-year-old opened, and Bruce darted past his concerned butler.

Before Alfred could question Bruce's bottled eagerness, Bruce hastily turned around and asked, "Where's Dad? And Mom? Where are they? Where are they?"

"In their room, Young Master. Why are you in such hurry?"

"No time, no time, Alfred. See you later." Bruce sprinted to the wide stairway, his adrenaline pumping wildly that pain in his thin legs escaped him. He was grinning, laughing. Yes, the most awaited show was to be presented later tonight. And he wanted to be the first to watch it. And what's better, if his mother and father agreed to go, he could sit in the first row! Oh, what joy!

He nearly tripped as he ran in the direction of his parents' bedroom. He was rarely excited about anything, rarely pleaded with his parents to buy him new toys or polished shoes. He wasn't a brat really. Just a boy who wanted to watch a play so badly that he felt like wetting his pants. It was perfectly normal to want something so desperately that if his parents said no, his heart would surely deflate into nothing than a dead rabbit.

He pushed the door open without knocking. "Mom! Dad—"

Blood rose to the air, the metallic, overwhelming stench suffocated him. He gagged mercilessly, his hands covering his wrinkled nose. _What's happening?_

"Mom! Dad! Where are you? Dad!" As much as his impulse wanted him to leave the appalling space, he couldn't leave without his parents, he couldn't abandon the bloody room without his family. He walked forward slowly, his love overpowering his fear and uncertainty. He warily scanned their bed. Blood painted the sheets, making him shut his eyes and call his parents once more.

No one answered him.

He called again. But the only sound he heard was the crunching noise underfoot as he baby-stepped to the huge closet door. He glanced down.

Pearls littered the floor. Like the ones his father gave to his mother earlier this morning. He started to panic. He screamed for them again. Still, the room was silent except for his ragged breathing.

"Mom!" Tears began to cascade down his sweaty cheeks. "Dad! Where are you?" He tentatively swung open the wardrobe's door. Thankfully blood hadn't stained the clothes. But before he could shut the door, a flash of red caught his eye. He looked closely at his mother's favorite white coat. It was spotted with blood. And so was his father's expensive suit—he always wore that when they went to the theatre.

He closed the door with a bang. _Oh dear, what's going on?_ He wanted to cry, he wanted to crawl into a ball and weep his confused sorrow. _Were they dead? Where were they? Who did this to them? _

Angry determination propelled him to stride to the last unchecked section of the room—the bathroom. His legs were like rubber when he reached the door. He numbly turned the knob, his hand slippery with excessive sweat. He finally opened it… and the figure sprawled on the tiled floor forced him to wake up.

Bruce was shaking as he slipped out of bed, his shirt and boxer shorts soaked to the skin, and his hands were clammy and shaking vigorously. He tried to clasp them together but just moving made his trembling more uncontrollable. He shakily walked to the bathroom door, was almost hesitant, but he cursed himself and went straight to the sink.

Without looking in the mirror, he filled a glass with water and as he gulped down the last few drops, the memory of where the blood-spattered corpse lay made him shiver. He looked down at where he was standing—the same spot where the body laid motionless, dead.

Caring no less, he ran out of the bathroom, hugging his belly to prevent himself from vomiting on the floor. He shook his head, closed his eyes. He turned his attention to the curtained window on his left and walked towards it.

The image refused to flee from his mind. He wanted to bang his head on the fragile glass but he wasn't in the mood to pay extra work for re-installing a broken window or mending a wounded skull.

The sight of blood might just aggravate him even more. He sighed. Diana. Even when he thought he was alone in his head at night, she occupied his sleeping hours. Oh what the hell, the thought of Diana always found a sneaky way to catch him off-guard. And since their _break-up, _he had dreams of her. It was always about her kissing him, or calling him, or he asking for her hand in marriage. _Pshaw!_

But tonight was different. He closed his eyes tightly. This time, she laid dead and bloody in front of him, a bullet wound in her chest, and the gun… he vaguely remembered something hitting the floor before he jolted out of bed.

He stared at his hands. Could he have killed her in the dream? It was highly impossible since he was searching hard for his parents. It was a mystery. But not one he'd have to dwell on any longer. It was only a dream, not reality.

He let his hands fall to his sides as he sauntered out of his bedroom's door. But before he stepped out, he glanced at his bedside table. The electronic clock flashed green numbers at him—it was already four in the morning. He was more than awake now. In fact, he was aching for some night skulking in Gotham's precipitous skyscrapers or in dark alleys where most unjust crimes were done thoughtlessly.

He went down to the Batcave, but instead of donning his intimidating costume, he grabbed his phone and called Dick.

"Mmm… please… later… still dreaming," Dick slurred into his mouthpiece, the phone barely touching his ear.

"Snap out of it, Dick. How can you call yourself a valued superhero when you can't even wake up and answer the phone decently? You think people will wait for you after you're on the ball?"

"I'm just rude to you, Bruce. I know you will call at this hour. Besides, I don't plan on becoming a valued hero, your repute made me think twice." Dick sat up, rubbed sand off his eyes.

Bruce growled into the phone. "I suddenly regret taking you under my wing." He looked up from his chair and saw Alfred carrying a tray of wholesome breakfast. Bruce gave him a look, but Alfred ignored him.

"Since you had very little rest, I'm sure a nutritious breakfast would just pump the oomph into your strained veins as you start the day, Master Bruce." Alfred set the tray on a wheeled table next to Bruce. It was a wonder how Alfred could cook up a mouth-watering buffet of breakfast-goodness on a silver tray in a matter of minutes. Alfred most definitely deserved the Superbutler title.

"It's not really necessary, Alfred," Bruce muttered.

"Alfred, eh? How's our prim Englishman holding up to our austere instigator?" Dick shouted into the earpiece, made certain that Alfred heard him—even if Alfred caught only a few words. Bruce barked a harmless threat at Dick.

But despite how Dick could crawl under Bruce's skin, Bruce smiled ever so lightly, and Alfred's eye was as sharp as a hawk. "By the sound of your unusual girly tone, why don't you come over here and give your old butler a giddy kiss if you need to break free from the constraints of being a man."

"Oh… you are so incorrigible," Dick ended the connection.

When Bruce put away the phone, Alfred asked, "Will Master Dick pay us a visit, Sir?"

"Want to kiss him too?"

Alfred smirked. "You don't have to pretend that you don't care about that boy." The butler smiled. "I'll prepare Master Dick's French Toast then."

"You don't have to spoil him. He's not a kid anymore," Bruce said.

"Then why do I see fatherly concern whenever you hear explosive criminal activities or gang fights rampaging Bludhaven these days? You practically jump in your seat."

When Bruce ignored him by turning on the computer, Alfred added, "He loves you, too, Master Bruce. Don't ever forget that."

"I don't, Alfred. I never do."

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"I believe Bruce won't mind you admitting that the mansion has been a lonely island without me, Alfred." Dick took a huge bite out of his toast, butter melting in his deprived tongue. He sighed dramatically. "You could never eat anything this good back in Bludhaven. You're the best Alfred!"

"And you don't know how rewarding that makes me feel knowing that someone actually appreciates my culinary expertise," Alfred and Dick glanced at Bruce's direction naughtily. Bruce gave them a sour look, continued his reading the Gotham News.

"Typically severe, don't you think so?" Dick commented. He generously spread peanut butter on his sliced banana. Before he could pop the greasy delicacy into his mouth, Bruce put the newsletter down with a perfunctory slam, his lips in a disgusted line.

"Put that into your mouth, you might as well slush oil down your throat."

Dick set the banana on his plate, looked at it impassively. "Tastes better than oil anytime." Ignoring Bruce's warning, he munched it down.

Bruce leaned his temple on his fisted hand, let out a hopeless sigh. "You're more incorrigible than I am. If I find out that you eat this way in Bludhaven, I'm calling Barbara to baby-sit you like last time. No tricks." Bruce stiffly drank his coffee.

Dick blushed an incredibly hue of red. "Such a low blow, very low indeed that I have nothing better to say but tell you that this is the only time I pig myself out. I practically starve myself back in Bludhaven with all the cataclysms happening every niche I turn to. I've never really had a decent meal or napping hour these days. So excuse me now as I scoff down Alfred's very, very generous offer." Dick grabbed the plateful of eggs and shoved four, glossy concentric circles to his silverware.

Bruce ignored him. Alfred refilled Dick's coffee, tried to catch Dick's angry eye, but Dick continued munching his food with indignation evident in his tired face.

Alfred frowned at Bruce when he finally caught the billionaire's eye. Bruce rubbed his face wearily.

"I'm… sorry. It's lack of sleep, too. I haven't had the best nights either," Bruce confessed as he straightened up with his tea in his shaky hand. "I'll see you in the Batcave."

When Dick and Alfred were alone, Dick turned to the solicitous butler wonderingly. "He's been like this recently?" It wasn't hard to see Bruce's fidgety gestures lately. And if Dick recalled well, Bruce was never as rickety as now.

Alfred started to gather Bruce's barely greased plate. His winkles suddenly doubled in size that if Dick's head weren't fuzzier than usual just then, he would have believed that an advanced Shar-pei replaced Alfred's position.

"He's been talking in his sleep. And earlier this morning, I could have sworn I heard him calling for his… parents," Alfred had to put the delicate silverware down for a moment. He breathed in deeply before continuing, "Knowing better than to wake him up, I started to prepare food for him. Delving into the past through questions won't ease the pain of his nightmare I presume. I also didn't want to bring it up." Alfred lightly laid his gloved hand on his chest. "I miss them, too, you know."

"I can see that," Dick thumbed the tablecloth guiltily. "But that doesn't mean Bruce should bury his emotions every single time someone wants to be close to him. He's causing pain to everyone around him. Like… Diana." Dick gasped after saying that much. Her name came out on impulse, and he flushed awkwardly when Alfred stared at him.

Knowing that Dick refused to say anything further, Alfred composed himself. "I know. She came here the other night, but the outcome was devastating. Their accusatory bicker tore each other apart." Alfred finally garnered the strength to pick up the plates. "I hope that whatever you're about to tell Master Bruce is the decision you believe is right."

With that wise remark said, Alfred walked out of the dining room. He sighed, frustrated. _Oh Donna… why have you burdened me so? _He scoffed at himself. No, it was never Donna's fault. _I blame Bruce!_

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He treaded silently into the cave, his careful footsteps meant to surprise the diligent grump who was facing the computer with a glare that could break a mirror into shattering pieces literally… almost.

He peered into the gigantic screens over Bruce's shoulder. _Greek Myths. Hippolyta and Feminism inside You. Olympia—Not a Paradise in a god's Perspective. _Oh, the man was so good. But Dick was betting this research was pleated from intuitive speculation.

"You're right. This is extensive research… and unusual. Why so interested in Wonder Woman's origins all of a sudden?"

He nearly laughed out loud when Bruce jumped from his seat. Bruce glared at Dick menacingly. "Don't ever creep up behind me again unless you want your head snapped from your neck!"

"What can I say? I learned from the _best_," Dick winked at Bruce. Dick coolly approached the flashing screens. "You've always taught me that you despise mythological material… you never believed every word of it. And seeing this," Dick whistled an impressed tune. "This is a new sign that man has evolved from exploratory prejudice!"

"Man has evolved from exploratory prejudice, you dunce. I'm looking at different angles. Ever since meeting Diana and many superheroes from alien worlds, you can never rely on ordinary issues or evidence anymore. And don't play stupid with me, Dick. I know Donna told you. You don't have to dance around it."

Bruce sat back on his chair, his hands folded together in that pretentious manner. Dick hated that. Dick also hated the fact that Bruce was too thorough and brainy not to know that Dick was using his frivolous method to hopefully stray Bruce away from the topic. But like Bruce suggested, it was stupid and fruitless.

He thought of Donna, their friendship, their momentous triumph when they exploited evil as the Titans. But he could never neglect Bruce's care for him ever since his parents where murdered. He had to decide quickly before he became more suspicious to Bruce's judgment. Who must he protect or betray? Donna? Or Bruce?

_Oh damn it all!_

He looked at the screen. Then his gaze fell on Bruce's profile.

Decided, he said nonchalantly, "I dunno. We haven't talked much yesterday. In fact, I'm going up again to talk to her. She seemed oddly stiff when I asked about Diana. I never mentioned Diana's odd behavior that you've been claiming. But just the mere inquiry of Diana's wellbeing made her uneasy, which was very weird. She then snapped at me and stormed off. I never had the chance to ask her again."

Bruce was silent for more than a minute. Even if Dick didn't show his escalating anxiety, he was tormented inside. He hated lying to Bruce, his father. He absolutely felt disgusted, felt unworthy to be called a son after _deceiving_ the man who raised him for what he was today.

"Very well. I practically don't own the situation now that I hold you responsible for asking about Diana's condition," Bruce plucked the Justice League communicating device out of his ear and handed it to Dick. "Here, call Mr. Terrific. Tell him to beam you up after you're suited up. I'm punching in the Retrotower today anyway. I'll just drive there."

Bruce then switched off his screen and got up to leave. "I know it's hard for you to seemingly betray a friend, but sometimes there are reasons why we have to. I'm not going to pressure you though when you discover the truth behind Dr. Jekyll's transformation into Hyde." Bruce started climbing the steep steps. "But do bear in mind that Dr. Jekyll was forever haunted by Hyde's maddening repercussions."

Bruce reached the top stair but Dick blurted out, "Damn you and your reverse psychology!"

Bruce turned around. "Did it work?"

Dick crashed on the chair despairingly. "Like a rat snared into an easy trap."

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"Mmm… Wally," Fire purred into Wally's crimson ear. "How can you leave a girl hanging just like that?"

Wally was just about to direct her to his front door when Fire stood her ground and looked at him with her batting eyelashes, her expression slightly wounded and disappointed. They just finished dinner together and were already quite drowsy from watching one of those romantic classics on TV.

Wally looked at her, puzzled, "I thought dinner was scrumptious? I used Granny Flash's secret recipes…"

"Oh, it was just wonderful! It was delicious, but… there's something else," she pulled him to the bedroom's route.

When they were in the room, she suddenly kissed him, her warm hands kneading his rigid chest. He tried to speak up, wanting to explain to her that he'd rather wait after marriage, but Fire pushed a finger to his jittery lips.

"Shh… it's better that you don't say anything at all." She pushed him back, the bed barely creaking with complaint as their weights collided with the soft comforter. He tried to get up. He took a fleeting glance at his door.

It was funny really. As he glanced at his door thoughtfully, his mind was plotting restlessly, telling him that he should bent on running away from his own apartment. He didn't even have the slightest clue why he wanted to flee from a hot babe who definitely had the hots for him. And it was Fire no less.

What was wrong with him? Was it because Granny Flash strictly instilled in his upbringing that premarital sex was like castrating his own testicles? Oh dude! Stupid, stupid allegory!

But seriously, he liked Fire. She was caring, sexy, sensuous, bold, and justified. Why couldn't he at least give her what she wanted? Besides, it's not like he was treading past killer zone by sleeping with a woman. And didn't Granny Flash say something like an opportunity was similar to a Jack-in-a-box? Once it pops out, you gotta grab at it and welcome its surprising hello. You can't immediately push it back, but embrace the element of surprise it has jumped into a moment of your life.

Or did she relate it to a jack rabbit? Oh what the hell, how can he refuse a chance as big and passionate as this?

Surprisingly even for himself, he returned her caresses by rolling over her, his hands feeling for warm flesh as their lips searched hungrily for the other, her fingernails occasionally grazing his arm… but it brought such satisfying pain. He was about to strip her blouse off when she stopped, her eyes widened in genuine shock.

"Oh… no… please… no…" she looked down but before Wally could see what she was concentrated on, she pushed him and asked where the bathroom was.

Wally landed on the floor, so he wasn't able to hear the question. He rubbed his shoulder as pain crept down his shoulder blades. He then sat up, purple dots dancing in front of him, nevertheless he tried to focus his puzzled attention on Fire.

"Oh what the hell, I'll look for it myself!" She whisked out of the room, Wally wonderingly watching her barely clothed figure.

He stood up, stretched his back, felt astonished that Fire could throw him off the bed with such mind-blowing force. He laughed inwardly. He was about to run after Fire if she needed any help with whatever she was panicking about, but the phone rang.

After three rings, he answered his mobile phone. "Hello?"

"Hi, it's Linda. Hope I'm not interrupting anything, my Crimson hero," Linda's melodic tone prompted him to grin. He could slightly detect sweet shyness in her greeting, but he loved that about her.

"Linda! How are you? Oh, you're Crimson hero is fine, in fact I'm battling against gravity's retaliation just now," he smiled. It was nice to hear from her excited, fluty voice.

"That sounds exciting," After a brief pause, she continued, "Mmm… I was wondering… if you're not busy this Saturday—"

"Wally?"

Wally jumped at Fire's unsuspecting entrance. He turned and mouthed to her to wait just a sec.

"Hey, okay, that's fine. I have to go, we'll talk about it later. Yeah, good night. Bye," Wally closed the phone and threw it on the bed, his face now turned anxiously to Fire.

"I have to go," Fire interrupted their awkward silence. She ignored his red, gawky stance. She'd certainly have to ask him about that call some other time. But now…

"Why? What's wrong? Are you ok? Did I do something? I'm sorry…"

"No, no, no. It's not you. It's me," Fire's cheeks were reddening as she pulled on her clothes.

When Wally started to bombard her with more nippy questions and apologies, she blurted out, "It's a woman's emergency!"

Wally stared at her flushed expression, his own face the same color as hers the instant her reply dawned on him clearly.

"Oh…"

"I have to go now," Fire pecked him on the cheek as he still gawked at her uneasily. She briskly walked out of the apartment's door before he had the chance to stop her.

"Ah… that was discomfiting."

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**To be continued…**

**You like? No like? Why? Please review! XD**

Author's Note: Out of curiosity, what do you guys think of Donna and Nightwing as a pair? I'm not really implying or planning to write about them as a couple (not yet maybe), but hey, what do you think?


	8. Love mystifies

I'm so sorry for taking quite long to update—a trip to the province carried me off, far away from any stretch of technology. But anyhow, I'm back and my current chapter is well… right in front of you.

Thank you once again to my wonderful, beautiful readers… I simply love y'all!

And I apologize if my pairings are too numerous that it's already superfluous and boring. I was just too excited that I wasn't thinking straight… haha… I'm not sure though if I'm writing another JLU fic anytime soon after this, my plot bunny is missing… But hopefully, this story continues to excite ya guys… XD

Enjoy!

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As her poised footsteps echoed across the empty hallway, Donna's gaze was blank and meditative. She struggled against the impulse to turn around, get a hold of Dick, and convince herself that she had to be right. She had to be right that he hadn't ratted on her while he was teleported back to Bludhaven late last night.

She feigned a smile when a couple of heroes walked by.

When she was out of eyeshot, she scowled—despising herself the more as her forehead crinkled into profound lines of critical contemplation. What made matters more worrisome for her was the fact that Bludhaven was a jogging distance from Gotham. And time was definitely on Dick's side if he ever planned on taking a round trip to Bruce's mansion. Whether it was during the night before, or as soon as dawn had cracked night's scintillating shadows, Dick could have had enough time to enlighten the Batman.

_Oh Hera help me…_

She blew out a weary sigh. Why was she suddenly so suspicious of Dick? He was her good buddy, and he used to be the Titan's confidant as well as smart-ass leader. And she still believed that he was as trustworthy as before. But then… why has she constantly peered over her shoulder several times, or why couldn't she stop haranguing herself for telling Dick everything she knew?

It was unusual… and annoying.

She uncharacteristically cursed aloud, consequently earning skeptical stares from fellow Justice League members. She ignored them and almost flew to her sister's room for cognate comfort.

She inhaled deeply before knocking her sister's door.

Expecting her sister to answer the door in a matter of seconds, Donna closed her eyes, leaned her head on the doorframe, and hummed a soft lullaby that her mother always sang to her before she crept into sleepy darkness when she was just a little girl.

When Diana hadn't opened the door, Donna frowned. Another strange episode. She made a clucking noise from her throat—a childish habit that effectively relieved her tension. But this time it wasn't doing any good. She began to bang on the door.

"Sister?" She asked, her voice rising. She slammed her closed fists on the door.

Silence.

"Okay, okay, okay. After I'm done with whatever it is I'm about to do, I'm not buying you a new door!" She bellowed before breaking through the door.

Shards of metal littered the floor of Diana's room as Donna noisily strode inside. She casually trampled them.

As soon as she was clear-headed from the trivial impact, she gasped out loud when she saw Diana sitting at the foot of the bed, her eyes not glancing at Donna, the necklace embracing her sister's slender neck.

_Oh shit._

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"Bruce!" Dick dashed to the Batman's side, his long legs thrashing about as he moved to catch up with Bruce's hurried steps. "Slow down. C'mon… think this over more thoroughly why don't you? There's gotta be another way."

Batman whirled suddenly at Dick.

Nightwing nearly slammed into Bruce, but his innate agility saved him from scoring the embarrassment. He narrowed his eyes at Bruce, his eyes practically pleading and mocking the Batman.

Batman hissed at Nightwing after making certain that no passing ear heard them. "Call me by my given name again, I'll bring you down with me if my identity is ever revealed—and that should never, never happen while I'm still able to kick your ass all the way to Timbuktu."

He strode away, leaving Nightwing angry and almost shameful with himself. Shaking his head to hopefully elude a migraine from stinging his head, he made another try on Bruce.

"Okay, let's say you're going to talk to Donna, convince her that Diana's in no safe situation—as a result my friendship with Donna is jeopardized—what makes you think Diana would think twice? You do know that she's as stubborn as you are."

Frustrated, Batman wheeled around, said, "She will listen to me. She has to if she cares for her sister so much. And about your friendship with Troia, it's already broken the minute you told me everything."

Bruce was about to walk in the direction of Diana's room but Nightwing pulled him by the shoulder. "I told you this because I'm also anxious about Diana. Seeing Donna's worried expression didn't make me feel at ease… it felt wrong. And it's harsh and selfish of you to overlook my trying position here. It's unfair that you feel careless about my friendship with Donna," Nightwing said as he firmed his grip on Bruce's shoulder when Bruce tried to wrench away. "A sincere apology might work for the both of them, especially on Diana's part. I couldn't blame her for taking extreme measures. You've hurt her so much. Why don't you ever consider that?"

Bruce scowled at Dick. "Apologies don't work for Diana. When she's decided, that's it. Nothing could ever sway her stand. And about your bond, I do care _dammit_! It's just that… right now, Diana's my… priority. And Donna's relayed anxiety doesn't make me feel happy at all. It's niggling and it has to be acted upon at once. So if you do care about Diana, you'd better shut up or get the hell out of here."

Disgruntled, Dick butted in, "How do you know apologies don't work for Diana if you haven't even tried it before?"

Gritting his teeth, Bruce was about to turn around to wail at Dick to shut it when a shocking boom interrupted their diatribe.

They instantly dropped the subject at hand and darted to where the sound originated. Bruce could feel his heart plummeting downward as they neared Diana's room. _Something's not right… _

He stopped when he saw sprawled figures littering the hall's floor around him. He saw half of the team barely conscious as they groped for their surroundings and tried to clear up their misty heads. And surprising enough, the majority of them were men.

Nightwing helped Dove and Green Arrow prop up against the wall. When Ollie finally focused on Nightwing, Dick asked, "What happened? Who did this?"

Even before hearing the dazed hero's coarse answer, Bruce and Dick already knew.

Bruce ran forward, careful not to step on any of the unconscious' faces or outstretched arms.

As he approached the destination in mind, he heard clanking metal against metal and high-pitched battle cries reverberating along the lifeless hallway. He skipped over another body, tried to pick up his pace. _Gawd, this was like springing from one tire to another in military school._

He slowed down when he heard a voice so piercingly familiar but cold roaring about him.

"Hear me yet again my sisters! Either fight with me or join the hedge-born men and fall as they did. Those vain, folly-fallen barnacles must see their end!"

After that was said, more clinking metal against metal resumed, more bodies crammed in a heap in front of him, and more skipping instead of running for the Batman. This was just perfect.

When he landed on a clearer area, he suddenly swore aloud.

For some odd reason, he instinctively knew that he should have slowed down a bit while he had the chance. But it was too late to double back. Before he could move away—how could he when unconscious bodies blocked every uncluttered space around him?—Donna was thrown towards him.

He fell back with Donna lying on top of him. But he immediately leapt up when he felt ragged breathing huffing in his face—someone cushioned his landing and was grudgingly paying the price by being flattened underneath Bruce and Donna's combined weight. He ignored Donna's groan when she slid to the floor as he stood up and tried to rouse Green Lantern. But he was out cold like a rock. _Unbelievable._

He turned to Donna and helped her up. She rubbed her head as she snorted a thank-you to Batman.

Before Bruce could grill her, Nightwing appeared behind her, his hand tenderly rubbing her back and shoulder. He rolled his eyes openly when he saw Bruce frowning at him. Dick knew that they needed to act fast before Diana became past outrageous and started taking serious actions… like maybe killing all men on the entire planet.

But there was nothing wrong checking up on his friend first.

"You okay?" he asked Donna gently. She only nodded slowly, her nose and forehead crinkling in swelling pain the instant she moved her head. She massaged her temples, then squinted her eyes open.

The sight of the Batman looming before her made the pain implausibly more unbearable. Revealing her frustration, she rashly asked, "What do you want?"

As much as Batman wanted to snap back, he bottled it in. There was no time for any of them to bark at each other's face. "How long has she been wearing the orb?"

When she heard his soft query, the headache and color were instantly drained from her face. She whirled around to confront Dick. She scowled at him when she saw him looking the other way.

Although it was only a murmur, she could decipher the words by reading his lips. _Sorry, but I had to—for Diana's sake._

Donna could feel anger and hurt clashing against one another—her temper of feeling betrayed eventually ruling out her awareness of the difficult situation at present. But when she looked up to find her sister slamming Stargirl into a wall, she held it in, breathed in deeply till her nose couldn't suck all the available air into her dog-tired lungs.

Ignoring Dick's remorseful eyes and the Batman's brooding gaze, she shook her head. "I don't know, I really don't." Frustrated tears began to well up, but she rubbed them off. "As soon as Dick left for Bludhaven, I volunteered to help out—or rather, replaced my sister's position. Using the orb took a huge toll out of her energy, so she needed all the muscle she can gather to… don the orb again."

Seeing her distressed expression, Dick held in the impulse to massage her nape reassuringly, but he knew it would just aggravate her even more. So he only stood behind her, intently listening to what she had to say while he kept a sharp look at Bruce in case his mentor tried to exacerbate the heavy mood surrounding them.

"When I returned from the mission, I found my sister wearing it…" Angry tears flowed down, but she roughly rubbed them off with the back of her hand. "Then… she told me to make a decision: either join her or fight her. I tried to talk some sense into her, which was highly pointless. She got the hint and knocked me into a wall. And you already know where that ended up…"

They glanced up to see Wonder Women executing a serious uppercut at Superman. They winced when she knocked the breath out of him by striking hard at his chest.

"If he wasn't Superman, he would have a hole in his heart by now," Flash ran to them, his costume ripped off at the chest and a bruise was coloring his cheek. An unconscious Shayera was propped on his right shoulder while the left was occupied by Fire.

He gently set them on the floor, making sure they were still breathing. Then he looked up, asked, "None of us had the courage to fight a colleague who's under some whacked spell… so we were pretty hesitant, especially Superman there. And on top of that, she's pelting fast… something that we assumed she was incapable of when we were swarming around her. But…"

Shaking his head, he said somberly, "We gotta stop her now."

Donna nodded her head. "Talking or pleading with her will do no good, especially when I can't get a hold of her necklace. She's too fast for me… somehow the orb gave her amplified strength and speed. It has given her all the advantages she needs to carry out the possible annihilation of men."

"How long have you been gone?" Batman brusquely asked. He didn't need further explanation on the orb's purpose. The only info he desperately required was how much time they had left to stop Diana.

Donna mulled over this. "Not more than twelve hours."

"Okay, we still have enough time to think of a strategy that might work for our benefit but—"

They were interrupted when Dick wailed, "Incoming!"

Donna caught the chucked bar of metal before it had the chance to crush them. They gazed up to see Wonder Woman's hard focus on them.

"Uh oh…" Flash and Nightwing muttered in unison.

Still composed but tensed, Bruce barked at Donna. "There has to be another way!"

Before Donna could answer him, Diana flung herself at Donna. Flash darted in their direction, picked up the bodies before Donna's ruptured landing flattened them.

He did his best to set them on a crash-free zone, checked for their subtle pulses and ran to where the Batman and the rest were huddled in fighting stances.

"Donna couldn't handle her long enough," Flash said. "What options do we have left besides reaching out for the necklace?"

"I believe a diversion won't work on her… Amazons were trained to defend themselves from any sort of distraction since they were just in beginner's bras," Nightwing suggested with frustration. He instantly looked up and gasped when he saw Diana grabbing Donna by the neck. He nearly made a sprint for it, but Bruce stopped him.

"It wouldn't make any difference if you try to save her… Donna herself could hardly lift a punch at her," Batman said as he gradually let go of a flushed Nightwing.

"Well we couldn't stand here like sitting ducks! We have to do something… like now!" Dick wailed as he ran to Donna's rescue. Nightwing nudged Flash to follow suit, who nodded and outran Dick's pace.

Bruce almost chased after them, but he knew better than that. He cursed aloud, berating himself for his absolute futility to solve the problem that practically hammered them into a pulp. Considering the miniscule chances they might have to lessen further damage, he simply strode to where Superman was massaging his head. Sensing that someone loomed over him, Clark looked up.

Batman offered him a hand and when Superman accepted it, Bruce said hastily, "Get everybody unconscious out of here. This doesn't concern any of them or you except me. And don't ask any questions because I refuse to answer any of them."

Bruce turned to run to where his protégé was virtually throwing sticks at Diana, but he stopped short when Superman mumbled tentatively, "Fine, but I trust you know what you're getting yourself into…"

"I'm not certain myself but what other choice do we have when our _manliness_ is at stake?"

Before Superman could retort, Batman already fled, his legs weighing a ton as each step directed him to Diana, his skin turning into clammy film over his skin. He drew in a long breath, but instead of satisfying his drying lungs, he absurdly felt like drowning; each draw of breath refused to feed air into his starved lungs.

He felt idiotic, stupid… and maudlin sentiments weren't helping him as he swung a Baterang at Diana. She expectedly dodged it with her invincible silver cuffs. How can he stop her, save her from a doom that was irreparable if crossed over the line? How much time did he have left? Was there another way? _There has to be!_

Before he realized it, her attention was directed to him, her uncharacteristically supercilious eyebrows attempting to draw him to intimidation, but he was as adamant as she was. He will not lose to her… not to the orb. He glared back at her. _I'm not afraid of you. I will not lose to you._

Diana's lips peeled back to reveal gleaming malice. Bruce could feel a prickly sensation creeping up his cold spine but he ignored it. He readied himself, his electrocuting Baterang materializing in his hand. He secretly squinted his eyes at Wally.

Exhausted but determined to save his gender, the Flash made a tornado around her but she quickly rebuffed it with her own cyclone so massive that Flash was nearly swept up into the air. At the same time, Donna lunged at her sister after Nightwing threw smoke bombs at her.

Annoying enough, Diana brushed them off as if she were simply swatting flies. _Dammit, dammit, dammit!_

Before Diana could attack her sister without knowing it, Batman hurled the weapon in Diana's direction. She dodged it with her metal bracelet but a blast of sharp electricity surged into her as contact between bracelet and weapon activated minor electrocution and momentary immobilization for the target. She cried out in pain and fell to the ground.

Bruce could feel his heart sliding down his stomach as he watched her writhing in numbing pain. But he had no other choice but to hurt her… just a bit. Wally darted to her, his hand outstretched to snatch the necklace away when a blinding light suddenly enveloped them.

They squinted their eyes shut, their hands blocking the light from hitting their faces. Even when their eyelids were wrinkled close, purple dots blinked before them. Bruce tried to slit open his eyelids a bit, but the light was too acute for the human eye could bear.

And then, it disappeared. In a fraction of a second, the blinding flash vanished as if it weren't there in the first place. Puzzled, they immediately scanned their surroundings.

The hallway was undamaged, clean, spotless. No sign of a scuffle alerted anyone that a fight against man's status had been jeopardized just a second ago. No metal shard or screw was segregated from its site. Everything was just as it was before Diana first swung a blow at Donna.

They all glanced at the sound of footsteps as Zatanna and Vigilante turned to the hallway where they stood dumbfounded. When the duo sensed that they were the focal attention of the Batman and his confused team, they stopped and tilted their heads in puzzlement.

"Did a tornado just pass by without the rest of us knowing about it?" Zatanna commented as she stared at Flash and Nightwing's disheveled appearance.

"You can say that," Flash shakily replied.

After a brief exchange between them was over, Nightwing asked quietly, "What just happened? It seems that… their memories were swiped clean excluding ours…"

"We're as tangled up as you are, Dick. It's too weird beyond…" Donna's voice trailed away when she noticed Diana missing. She whirled around to face them. Batman immediately met her gaze, then they broke into a run to Diana's room.

When they arrived at the door, it was mysteriously whole again and was left ajar. They cautiously stepped in, their hearts pounding mercilessly as they searched the room. Empty.

Except…

On the wall above the bed's headboard was an engraved writing. Nightwing hesitantly approached it, its cursive penmanship beautiful and antediluvian. Batman and the rest read the _note_ quietly.

_How do you save a love you've already killed?_

As their minds groped for the insinuated meaning left behind by the mysterious script, Batman's circumspect gaze finally fell to an object lying still on the bed's center. He tenderly held it between his forefinger and thumb… inspecting it closely.

"A laurel?"

As if she was electrocuted at the feet, Donna jumped to Bruce's side and hastily snatched it from his grip. Before Bruce could scold her for her rash managing of critical evidence pointing towards Diana's strange disappearance, Donna's comprehending gasp and subsequent meditation quieted them all to the extent that it was a nuisance to even release a restrained sigh.

After a moment's unsettling pause, Donna whispered, "The god has spoken."

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To be continued…

You like? No like? Why? Review please… XD

Btw, I'll only continue if I have 10 more reviews... mwahahahaha... feel my sadistic wrath! Hahaha... kidding... but I could be serious... your move ;)


	9. Love twists

**I seem to be out of words lately, and I'm quite sure that some of you are tired of hearing my incessant, mawkish gratitude—but what the hell, Thank you so much (Special thanks to Catgirl R and S Fan, klutzyspaz, Lavender Gaia, Skite, amazing redd phoenix, Mike9, oneredneckgoddess, Brutal2003, ccabello, and Tefa)! And I do believe we must carry on with the following episode…**

**Btw, I'm so amused to read each of your interpretations. Some of them I have considered for which were originally far from what my story is heading to. Nonetheless, it was fun and very evocative. So, I'm still very much interested in whatever comments or suggestions you are burning to barrage me with… ;)**

**Enjoy!**

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"The god has spoken," she mumbled faintly, yet the Batman heard her before she could retract her words. She torpidly let the leaf fall to the floor, her face a combination of uncertainty and palpable respite. Dick gave her a sidelong glance, his brows arching questioningly. Flash too gawked at her curiously.

"Donna, everything ok?" Flash asked. Glancing back at the golden message, Wally felt goose bumps flecking his bronzed arms; and seeing Donna's suffused relief didn't calm him one bit. In fact, it doubled his agitated nerves.

Wally suddenly turned his head when he felt a nudge at his ribs. Rolling his eyes and twitching his lips, Dick mimed to Wally that Donna was definitely concealing something. Wally nodded, mouthed to Dick that their problems seemed to have barely culminated their intentions.

Before they could further read Donna's interpretive movements, she was already halfway out the door. Wally caught up with her, queried suddenly, "Which god are we dealing here, Don? What's going on here? And where are you heading off to?"

Without stopping a second's breath, Donna answered him brusquely, "It's not my position to tell you who left that message but I do know that my worst fear may have diverged from nearing peril."

They reached the teleportation zone where Donna sped to the monitoring area, whispered her terminus to Mr. Terrific. Batman and Nightwing furtively glanced over Mr. Terrific's shoulder as Flash continuously bombarded Donna with aimless, hasty questions.

"Don! What's going on?"

Before stepping on the circular patch of blue light, Donna glanced over her shoulder. Her piercing gaze met Batman's and atypically enough, she motioned them to come with her. When Batman stood beside her, she murmured, "You're in deep shit."

"Quite surprising that I anticipated as much," Bruce retorted silently as they were conveyed to Themyscyra.

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Wally and Dick swallowed tense sighs as glinting spears, swords, and choppers besieged every narrow escape they could think of in case they had to make a run for it. Wally uneasily smiled when an Amazon soldier inched closer, nearly perforating Wally's neck with the razor-sharp sword.

"Uh… Dick…" Wally mumbled in Nightwing's earshot.

"What?"

"Why aren't we dead yet?"

Dick stiffly shrugged his shoulders. "That's 'cuz Mr. Death hasn't answered our calls yet, so stop fidgeting. Besides, Donna's buying time. I suppose she's imbuing some sense into the general's misguided skull over there."

Flash craned his neck to better see Donna muttering something tactfully to a bulky soldier. They stood at the far side, careful that they wouldn't be heard. Flash could sense that Donna's regal status was either working to their advantage or Theymyscyra's new specialty for tonight's dinner was Justice League flambé.

Batman, on the other hand, ignored Dick's escalating anxiety and Wally's restless mannerisms. His mind wandered to Diana, his eyes closed to picture Diana's radiant smile, her thoughtful frown, her resolute anger to injustice… and then her condescending, appalling grimace that crossed her face just a few minutes ago.

What had happened? When they were so close to breaking Diana's curse, purblind light flashed before them and then Diana mysteriously disappeared. The only frustrating clues they had were the message and leaf. Other than that, everything was a blur. Back to square one.

Heat from the sun glared at them, causing Batman to narrow his eyes as waves of intense heat wavered in front of him. He wiped sweat off his chin, his breathing turning uneven. He glanced at Nightwing and Flash. They looked fine… just nervous. But why was he feeling like an inferno was burning inside him? Damn… the more he moved, the more ferocious the guards became.

What was taking Donna so long? Where was the queen? It was absurd if Donna was banned from seeing her mother directly just because three guys accompanied her to the island. It was so absurd. And extremely hot. Not to mention that the _general_ looked fat and wavy.

How odd. Everybody around him seemed as if they mysteriously adopted ten extra pounds in a second. And why couldn't they stop swaying their hips like they were following the wind's tuneless whistling?

"Bruce?"

Odiferous scent wisped into his nose, and he smiled dreamily. It reminded him of his mother's favorite perfume, which used to gag him when he was a little boy. Suddenly, Diana's luminous face inched closer, everything gradually shifting to blackness. But he could still smell that scent… the scent of Diana's singularly fragrant sweat during battle… the scent that reminded him of his mother.

By instinct he knew that he was standing on the verge of a precipitous cliff. And as the jagged rocks crumbled into nothingness, he didn't move. He couldn't. He reached for his utility pocket, but his fingertips only met his six-pack.

Still stoic, he tried to look down. Clouds, misty fog hung below him. He mused over this. Was he dead? He felt for his hands. His sense of touch was functional. Then he smelled her again. And saw her flying towards him. To save him.

But when she reached out her arms, he didn't hold fast to them. He could hear her calling out to him, crying for him. Diana was crying… she had always cared. But he neglected her, pushed her away as it was the right thing to do. He didn't want to complicate her life. He didn't want to jeopardize her.

He was only a hindrance to her existence.

Before he realized it, Diana jerked in impact as a circular object shot through her heart. Darkish blood oozed out, flowed down her body, trickled down to the bottomless pit. Her glazed eyes looked at him, but didn't really see.

And then she disappeared.

Bruce turned his head, searched for her. But she was totally gone. He clenched his fists in frustration, called out her name, but he gasped in shock when he felt his hand closing over something hard and wet.

Ensnared in his trembling hand was the orb—all bloody and cold. He tried to let go, but it was magically glued to his palm. _Dammit!_ He just kept shaking his arm, tried to slide it off his grip. His mind had soon overlooked its origin and purpose.

Why was it covered in blood? Where did it come from? Why couldn't he smell the fragrant scent anymore? Why hasn't he hit the ground yet? Why did he feel lost?

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"It sure wasn't the smartest move, but it got us safely inside," Wally remarked when he saw Bruce rubbing sleep off his eyes. Dick immediately strode to Bruce's side, said, "You scared us there. If you weren't feeling well, you shouldn't have forced yourself to tag along."

Bruce somberly scrutinized the room before asking, "I fell unconscious?"

"Oh yeah," Flash replied as he darted to the bed's edge. "Good thing Dick caught you before the floor did. It surprised all of us, even Donna." Flash chuckled silently, then continued, "At first, they refused to let us in. But Dick gave them the pup eyes, and they conceded."

"I did no such thing," Dick retorted. "My diplomatic glib got us through. And what did you do? Try to win them over with your twitchy smile?"

"If they didn't growl so much, it would have worked."

Ignoring their meaningless exchange, Bruce sat up, scratched his head. He glanced at the chair in the corner and saw his costume resting there. He gruffly stood up, walked to where his cowl faced him.

Pulling it on, he mulled over his dream. He glanced down, stretched open his hand. Was he killing her slowly? Was he lost without her? Was his construal of the dream bordering on accuracy?

He let his hand fall to his side as he searched deep down, dubiously unearthing his inner self's sentiment.

'_You love her, why push her away?' _A small voice asked him.

_Because I have to. It says so in my future._

'_Ah… future's puppet, eh? Mmm… typical. The Green Lantern's perspective is very different from yours though.'_

_It's his life, not mine. I don't care how he leads it. But I do know that my future would be in jeopardy if I took a different slope. _

'_Are you sure? Strange…'_

_Quit prancing around it and just spit it out!_

'_Temper, temper… Have you forgotten the old saying? We write our own destiny, not the other way around. And do you honestly think that Diana would hamper your better judgment? Do you believe that she would obstruct your duty to stave off felons, both at present and future?'_

"Bats? You feeling faint again?" Flash interrupted his thoughts when the Crimson Speedster materialized beside him.

"No. I was only thinking of something exceedingly trivial."

They whirled their attention to a knock at the door.

"Come in," Dick answered the soft thump on the wood. Donna padded to the room, her gaze on Bruce.

"You all right?" she asked quite demurely.

Looking at her brought the pang to his inner core. He thought of Diana, and at that same instant, he froze.

"How long was I out?" he asked briskly.

They exchanged a few glances, exhumed their memory banks moments ago.

Donna filled in, "Twenty-five…?"

"I could have sworn it was thirty," Flash interjected.

"I think somewhere in between, it doesn't really matter," Dick butted in when Flash and Donna were on the edge of contending their conflicting credence.

Bruce only nodded. So if Diana wore the orb within twenty-four hours, maybe a little past the twelfth hour, and disappeared still wearing it, they were still suspended in instability and caprice, which were unhelpful at this sort of situation. And since he passed out, they had very little time to be able to find Diana, fight her if necessary, and seize the necklace before all was lost.

He was losing here. He didn't know where to start. But then…

"Donna," he startled Donna from her reverie. "Who's the god we're dealing with?"

Donna blinked several times, slightly dumbfounded by his sudden enquiry. Nightwing and Flash stood at the side, intently watching the scene being played before them. If Donna ever attempted on backing out or tried to ingeniously digress from the subject at hand, they were supporting Bruce's back. If Diana was still under the orb's volatile power, they needed to rescue her at once. They couldn't bear the thought of losing a dear friend. And if Donna knew something about Diana's baffling desertion, they were going to extract it out of her no matter how grueling it might be.

Unsure and nervous, Donna covered her face with her hands, wearily sat on the bed's edge. To further ease down the tension building up inside her, she rested her head on her knees, then mumbled, "Cupid."

"Seriously? I thought he's Diana's friend?" Flash asked when Donna went silent.

She looked up, shook away the dread that crept up her tingling spine. "He is. If I'm not mistaken, he helped her. But…" She glanced at Batman. "He's not happy with you."

Nightwing and Flash turned their heads abruptly to Bruce, finding Bruce blowing out a sigh. Masking his swelling apprehension, he commented, "Maybe I do deserve all the bitter retaliations against me, but stop euphemizing the harsh facts and tell us what is really going on. If Cupid cared for Diana, why did he stop us from grabbing hold of the necklace?"

Donna bit her lower lip, said tentatively after a second's reflection, "He does care. He took her away because—"

"I don't want Princess Diana to see her pokerfaced _beloved_ triumphing over her when his heart hasn't changed yet," a good-looking man interrupted them as he quietly skulked into the room.

He lightly smiled at Donna, assuring her that he was not mad at her for nearly unveiling his plan to them. Then he primly scanned the room slowly, his hard gaze examining the trio's cautious appearance.

Bruce rebuffed the man's unfriendly gaze by narrowing his own. He inspected the chinwag-basher from head to foot; the man's brown locks were glistening against the sun's light, which filtered through the laced curtains; his slightly tan, slender build was barely swathed by his white tunic; and his deep-blue eyes were profound of interred aversion and swooning charm.

There was no question that he was a god. And his arrows tightly bound to his back were enough disclosure to his identity.

As maddening silence took over the pause that befell on them when Cupid's presence arrived, he and Batman shared a glare so spirit-deflating that if Queen Hippolyta didn't intrude by knocking on the door, they would have continued throughout eternity. At that moment, they knew that they despised each other's guts.

They bowed respectfully at her entrance. Two burly guards policed her right and left.

Certain that she was in harmless hands, she whispered to them to leave. They hesitated for a while, baring their teeth in the direction of Flash and Nightwing's direction—Batman's line of sight was blocked by Cupid's figure—then they finally left silently.

"Are you feeling much better?" she inquired icily at Batman.

"Yes, thank you," Batman answered. She nodded her head, never leaving Batman overlooked.

Still looking at the Batman, she addressed her daughter, "Donna, please escort your two friends to the leisurely area while Cupid and I have a few questions and stipulations for the Batman."

Donna nodded, motioned Dick and Wally to follow her. The two men hesitated for a moment, but Donna gave them a pleading hiss to hurry before her mother resorted to incarcerating them for procrastinating and abusing the queen's patience.

When they left, Queen Hippolyta elegantly sat on the wicker chair near the window, gestured to Cupid to seat himself on the other. Cupid did as he was told, smirking inwardly when the Batman was left to stand in front of them as if facing prosecution.

Unsmiling, she said after a minute's stillness, "Not too long ago, when my daughter arrived, I was supposed to be thrilled. But I grew worried instead—a very unusual emotion of a mother whose daughter has come home after months of separation. I questioned her but she refused to face me. Why? As much as my heart was bursting with curiosity and anxiety, I did not pursue her for fear that I might only provoke her." She paused to sip from a glass that materialized in her hand. She thanked Cupid for the gesture and continued, "And I now understand my daughter's abnormal behavior. The cause? You."

Batman felt cold by hearing her astringent accusation. But he kept an unperturbed front nonetheless. If Diana's life was hanging in jeopardy, he couldn't deny his liable actions. But that didn't also mean he would allow them to mortify him in every possible way. He would act on his guilt, he would save Diana, but loving her explicitly afterwards…? It was a question of fate.

"I perfectly understand your exasperation, and I take whole blame for it. But if I may ask…?"

Hippolyta nodded her head.

Batman faced Cupid. "If a friend knew where his friend was getting herself into, why did he let her use dangerous means to reciprocate the mistake I've done?"

Cupid's face instantly hardened at Batman's accusatory tone. A vein throbbed in his temple but when he sensed Hippolyta's crossed eyebrows, he calmed a bit. A muffled chuckle escaped his lips, and he smirked.

"I was very much aware of Diana's potential danger, but she left me no other choice. She's a very hardheaded woman, easily determined to do as she thinks is right or fair. In this case, she was emotional yet she kept her wits intact. I reiterated the hazards to her, but she turned the deaf ear. I gave up because I trusted her decision and Donna's watchful eye. And I still do trust them… however," he paused, his face turning into a sudden change of mood; he grew somber. "The orb's power must have overwhelmed her. It unsuspectingly advanced to the critical stage after years of neglect."

He rubbed his face in frustration. Hands over his face, he muttered, "I should have been more mindful of the orb's variable effects…"

Batman brooded over the newly learned info. "So, what you're saying is… the orb rushed its development; there's a probability that Diana is in bigger risk now?"

Hippolyta abruptly whirled her focus on Cupid, her face aging by the second. "Cupid. I thought you told me she is in good hands?"

"She is," Cupid assured Diana's worried mother. "I cast a sleeping spell on her, but she's still in contact with the orb." He held up his hand courteously when Hippolyta was about to barrage Cupid with angry protests. "Don't worry, my queen. She is, and will be in safe hands if someone here has kept his word of taking action on his guilt…?"

Batman nodded, stood still. "One question. Why would the orb rush its progress after years of disregard? It doesn't make sense. When an item has been neglected for years, shouldn't it be fine? Unless… it's been abused in some mysterious way."

Cupid's eyes squinted in pleased recognition. "The orb's power is activated through skin contact, specifically when it's already in use. Centuries ago, a god used it. When his companions thought of it as danger to their friend's life, they did as what you and your friends tried to do beforehand. But their mistake was they didn't have protection over their skin. One of the unsuspecting gods got hold of it and consequently he became the new host. Flummoxed, the still ingenuous gods fought the new user and when the next _fortunate_ god touches the orb, he's spellbound by it. So, throughout their continuous brawl and wild interchange of users, the orb's goal became unpredictable and unruly. And now, Diana's paying for their dense consequence."

Comprehending, Batman and Hippolyta concurred quietly. But Hippolyta's hands gripped the armrests so hard that it seemed bent when she let go of it. She straightened her back, barked fumingly, "If you knew that it washighly unstable, why didn't you fix it? Better yet, why did you consent to my daughter's hasty wishes!"

Cupid stood up and bowed his head before Hippolyta. "My apologies, my queen." He looked up, remorse engraved in his mesmerizing eyes. "That incident took place centuries ago, it slipped off my mind. And hearing Diana's story impulsively sparked foolhardy mischief in me. Again, I am sorry and the Batman should not take whole blame for it. Please forgive me, my queen."

Hippolyta blew out a tired sigh. She muttered to him to get up, then said, "Well, this just proves that gods are just as flawed as the humans. I slightly forgive you, that is, could I trust your decision to work?"

"Of course." Cupid turned to Batman. "If the Batman has kept his word to save Diana, it'll work." Cupid cleared his throat, continued, "I've done my part, it's now your turn."

"Your part?" Batman growled questioningly. "What have you done that helped us or Diana? Baffle us by blinding us and abducting Diana? We were so close to have saved her!"

Cupid faced him sharply, his face furrowed in gravity. "Were you really? Are you absolutely certain that if you've snatched away the orb she wouldn't want to use it again? Do you honestly believe that she'd feel guilt-ridden over her impetuous, spiteful actions? Please tell me if I'm wrong, I'm rather curious about your answer."

Sitting down, Cupid entwined his hands together, his lips drawn in a meditative line, his eyes scrutinizing Batman's thoughtful, grim expression. Then he thought of Diana, soundly asleep in his guest's chamber.

After swallowing Batman and his colleagues in biting light, he surreptitiously poked Diana with his drowsy arrows and gently carried her off to Olympia. Psyche helped him by writing the message on the wall and leaving the leaf on the bed. Knowing that Donna would recognize it, they didn't feel doubtful about Donna's resolution that Cupid was the mastermind of the whole disappearing act.

As much as he loathed the Batman's forbidding air, he had to admit that the Batman's gumption was credible. Cupid now understood Diana's reason of infatuation… love for the Batman. And looking at the Batman intently, although the Batman refused to open his heart, he knew that it was slowly creaking open, slowly allowing Diana's love to ignite the passion deeply buried inside him.

He sighed in irritation when Batman answered finally, "For one, Diana's life would be far from strife if you only let us get the necklace. I already feel remorseful by how my words have hurt her and I know that a simple apology couldn't compensate for nearly losing her. But do bear in mind that as you have your ways of bringing two people together, I have my own. Don't delude yourself that you're a thoroughly flourishing matchmaker. As Queen Hippolyta mentioned earlier, gods are as flawed as us humans." Batman paused to check the time. "So, unless you want her to remain as the cursed Sleeping Beauty forever, tell me: how long till the clock will have struck the twenty-fourth hour? And I understand that mortals aren't allowed to enter through Olympia?"

Cupid suddenly let out an amused chuckle. "You're going a bit too fast for me here." He paused to sip wine from a bronze cup that magically emerged in his hand. He lifted it in Batman's direction. "Wine?"

"No thanks. I don't gluttonize myself seeing that it has proven to lead one in a perpetual state of indolence and imprudence." Bruce scowled when Cupid only grinned. "What the hell are you smiling about at a time like now? You're bluffing about Diana's condition, aren't you?"

"I vow to my mother and father that I have not lied about Diana's snoozing episode." He turned to Hippolyta in question. She nodded her head in consent. Cupid then continued, "To answer your snippy question, you have… the remaining sixteen hours to complete the obstacle we gods have in store for mortals who wish to cross Olympia's gate. And it begins with my first question."

"Do you love Diana? Oh," Cupid butted in. "Change that. Why don't we make this a little more interesting?"

Cupid cunningly glanced at Batman's serious face. "Why have you chosen to push away someone you so cherished?"

Batman twitched his eyebrows in annoyance. Why did everybody have to ask the same question every single time unwelcome love was pushed in his face? It was infuriating when he had to reiterate the answer. And under now's circumstance, he wouldn't change it just because Diana's life was on the line. His future depended on it.

"I'm destined to seclusion for the rest of my life. It's my fate to be alone, live alone, die alone. Changing that would mean the future is at risk. I can't let that happen."

After a moment's thoughtful silence, Hippolyta finally queried, "So you believe that the future shouldn't be revealed to the present eye because if it did, the future is threatened? If that's the case, why did you see it then?"

"Accidents happen for a reason. Green Lantern discovered that he'll have a son with Shayera Hol. That son is bound to save lives in the future. As for me, I'd rather not repeat myself. Unexpected things happen for a reason."

Cupid slowly nodded at this. "Including this orb's impediment? It's unexpected and it could have occurred for a reason, don't you agree?"

Batman went silent for a moment. "Could be. But I'm sure Diana would have understood if I only told her everything more clearly. I should have bottled in my temper…"

"But the damage has been done; nothing we could do about it," Hippolyta filled in. "And if my deduction is correct, the future you went to was misshapen, it was corrupted. If that's the case, what makes you wholly positive that your destiny _to be alone_ is fixedly decided?"

Before Batman could reply, Cupid interjected, "In addition to that, the mortal's future is still unsettled. That's one flaw that usually envies us gods. And I'm afraid that includes myself." Cupid leaned back in his seat. "Your choices are unlimited, boundless, lawless. On the other hand, ours is _totally predestined_, bound by laws. We are immortal, thus, our time is normally consumed by socializing with other gods, watching and criticizing humans, or creating havoc in your world—well, blame Poseidon for the recent shipwrecks—in short, we lead a very boring life."

For the first time in his life, Batman couldn't think of anything to defend himself. Stunned, he couldn't shake off the feeling that he has actually based his assumptions, decisions, his life on a future that was uncertain, perverted. Hippolyta was right. And Cupid? _Damn!_ All this time he was being misled, toyed by a warped future that was created by a psychotic physicist.

He cursed under his breath, almost kicked himself for his rashness. _Oh gawd… Diana… _

"I think…" Clenching tight his fists, he muttered hesitantly, "How do I really save Diana? Or would you rather barrage me with questions or do I have to run through a floating obstacle course?"

Cupid and Hippolyta fleetingly shared a smile before turning their heads to the Batman. "You will have to go through a misty obstacle course, not floating," Cupid said. "But be warned, gods have conspired the whole course. Very, very few have accomplished it but that happened four centuries ago. You must be swift and cunning, and I'm sure you'll do fine if you've put your heart into it."

When Batman was first to exit through the door, Hippolyta whispered to Cupid, "You believe he is ready?"

"Most probably, yes."

Hippolyta raised her brow at him. "Most probably?"

"Don't worry, my queen. I'm the god of love, and I'm absolutely certain that love can surpass anything, even if one's heart has been shut to everything until now. Please trust me on this one."

Hippolyta stared at the back of Batman's cape when she mumbled, "I do. I do."

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**TO BE CONTINUED…**

**You like? No like? Why? Review please… ;)**


	10. HeMan of the Jungle

Lemme say something first, non? But okay, okay I'll speed this up. Thank you for your reviews! But I also have a question that I've been burning to ask since writing this fic. Has Justice League Unlimited ended? Is Season 5 the last of the show? I haven't seen any news or updates concerning its upcoming season—if there's ever gonna be one… But shit if they're really through with it!

But anyhow...

Enjoy!

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His insides burned as his head shot up, his mouth and nostrils wide gasping for breath. Before he could swim ashore, his arms waded hysterically in the water as he was pulled back into the deep, murky waters. He barely gulped in air when keen teeth embedded its jagged choppers into his skin. He swallowed a painful cry for fear that he'd gulp a lungful of water and drown.

Alternately, he bent forward, quickly fished out his electric brass knuckles and punched the shark's spiteful jowl hard in the face. After a series of blows and ear-splitting wails, it finally let go, its bulky figure spiraling down towards its gloomy home.

Making certain that it couldn't torpedo back to him, he paddled his complaining arms and legs upward, his teeth gritting so tight that if ever possible, his jaw would shatter to bony pieces. Still pushing his legs upward and ignoring the bleeding in his leg, he didn't realize that he already reached the surface when everything started to blur in front of him.

Bruce shook his head to will the dizziness to pass. When it softly thudded in the back of his head, he swam to the sandy, white shore ahead. When he crawled onto land, he checked the golden watch strapped to his belt.

Eleven hours to go till Diana would be lost to them. Lost to him.

He cursed fiercely when he could hardly walk three feet's length. He didn't care if the gods laughed or criticized his injured condition now. He also erased the image of Dick and Wally frowning in anxiety, as they could do nothing but helplessly watch their mentor limping forward, wounded in all the wrong places from head to foot.

He ripped a strip of his tattered cape and wound it tightly around his wet, bloody gash a little above his ankle. When he tried to stand up, he fell instantly. Pain shot through his legs, arms, bruised chest, and the thumping in his head grew louder and more unbearable.

Unwinding his knotted nerves by rubbing his battered muscles, Bruce figured that he couldn't go on successfully in a pathetic state as now. Juggling his options, he decided that he needed a sum of ten minutes' rest before going any further with the ordeal.

Carefully, he set the _borrowed_ things on the warm sand and mused over the preceding moments of terror that seized his core when he ran and fought in the sultry chasms and formidable citadels of the Underworld. His willful determination to outsmart the gods and their ludic plots to degrade humankind in general was his source of short-lived triumph as of now.

He sighed heavily when his eyes began to droop.

Rubbing his face roughly, he reflected on his actions and the harrowing events that took place a few hours ago. He thought of Artemis and a thin smile crept to his lips.

Flashback: (The first test: Lady of the Wild Things)

_A swarm of arrows were flung sharply in his direction. He hid behind an oak that seemed to have shifted when he neared it. But he paid no attention to it when arrows hit the ground next to him. Puzzled that he felt the leaves fluttering above him, he looked up. _

_Nothing moved, nothing appeared. _

_His brows knitted in paranoid confusion. He wondered why the tree didn't seem to have been stabbed by the arrows. The arrows flew in wide dimensions, and he was almost sure that the tree where he was hiding against should have been a victim of the arrows' stings._

_Suddenly, a flicker of revelation hit him. He whirled around, was thankful that he was quick enough to elude the thick branch's blow. Its long, leafy branches swiped at him as he nimbly jumped away from its reach. _

_Everything in the mythological world pulsated with life, its lively veins streaked with magic and individual spirit. He abruptly glanced down, imagined that the ground would create a whirlpool of quicksand under his feet and swallow him in. _

_But it was only his imagination, nothing more than that hopefully. _

_He cautiously moved to a shrub, his Baterang ever ready in his taut grip. But Cupid's early warning echoed in his ears. Killing any living thing—plants or animals—in Artemis' territory would mean instant death to the Batman. _

_He swore under his breath. How could he get anywhere when concealed eyes and silent news from trees or animals could give away his position at any moment?_

_He escaped from his reverie when hooves trotted towards him. Frustrated and powerless, he ran forward, ignoring trees scratching his face. The hooves thundered louder behind him, the horse's gasps filling the spookily quiet forest. _

_His heart fell when he heard a bowstring being adjusted. He could feel his back being targeted, his heart marked as the bull's eye. _

_His legs began to ache tremendously but he pushed forward, adrenaline pumping in his hot veins. His fingers involuntarily touched the watch given to him by Hippolyta—it showed the remaining time he had until Diana's sense of being faded away from them forever. His touch soon fell to his utility belt. He fished out a smoke bomb from one of the pockets, tossed it behind him, and he ducked quickly behind a rock that sat beside an enormous tree. _

'_Fuck those gabbing firewood they call trees!' he thought out loud in his head. If the tree beside him ratted on him, he'd chop it down heedlessly. He couldn't care more if Artemis would want his head if he killed her beloved tree. This was too much. _

_He lowered his head when he saw the horse's figure emerging out of the fog, its nose twitching as the smoke tickled its muzzle. As the horse was steered in a circle, the rider was Bruce's focal attention. _

_Her green eyes sparkled fiercely as she searched hard for any sign of the Batman's dark form; her untamed hair was tied back in a hasty ponytail, wisps of brown hair half-curtained her angry face; and her tanned hands gripped the bow tightly when her search seemed futile._

_Immediately her cold gaze fell on the rock. Batman fell quietly before she caught sight of him. Catching a glimpse of her sharp green eyes told him that she was acutely smart, and if he didn't act sooner he was sure her deadly arrow would skewer him before he had the chance to scramble up and dash for hopeless cover. _

_Lightning fast, he dropped one of his smoke bombs beside him, thus, creating an opaque mist whirling around him. It was a slim chance, but the only possible way out of Artemis' fatal proximity. Just then, he swung a thin object at the far side from where he was positioned. _

_As he heard his contraption hit the ground on the other side of the dirt path, he stealthily scrambled up, his legs carrying him out of there. As he ran from the foggy area, his instinct directing him to thicker foliage, he heard an arrow piercing the silence that overwhelmed them; it first stabbed the ground where he formerly hid, then it was aimed at where he threw the device. _

_Batman ran faster as he knew that he had less than two minutes before the goddess discovered that he used a diversion. That device was actually a hologram of himself; she probably assumed that the holograph was really him running from one tree to the other. He could hear more arrows puncturing the ground. He ran faster until his legs ached and his appendix burned. _

_He grabbed the watch and pressed a button that switched it to compass mode. How handy. Maybe when this was all over he could invent a multi-purpose watch too; a mini-Baterang, a Batmobile summoning button, and a tracking device indicator could be inserted into his watch as alternatives._

_Glancing down at the compass, the needle pointed east. He followed its jittery aim as he kept a watchful sign for a stir in the woods. The trial was similar to a give and take swap. In order for him to enter through the Underworld and take something that would gain him leverage when he had to deal with Poseidon and the other gods, he initially had to go through Artemis. _

_And for him to get through Artemis, he had to look for her most cherished animal: the deer. According to Cupid, it was lost, and his current role was to search for it and shepherd it back to Artemis. _

_He remembered asking, if Artemis was its master and she was a goddess, why not call for it through mystical means? She had the power after all. _

_Cupid told him that the gods managed to thieve her whistle away—an apparatus that summoned her animals to her. And now she was in a state of disarray and fury; she needed it, wanted it back. And hearing of an intruder in her forest wasn't adding sunshine to her cloudy day. _

_He sighed. He touched his pocket. He could hardly feel the silvery smoothness of the tiny instrument but he knew it was stashed deeply inside his utility pouch. He had to wait, bide his time until he found the deer and by then, he would know what to do. _

_But now, he only had to run, use his instincts to evade Artemis furious arrows. He had to find the animal quick, wherever it was, before he was turned into Batman Barbeque. _

_A green, lush leaf slapped him in the face amidst the columns of thick barks. He fell back, groaned inwardly. He instantly leapt backward when a tree nearly crushed him with its heavy branch. He moved back, sideways, back again, forward, as trees from all directions consecutively wished to slam him to the ground. He gasped when thorns were thrown from rose bushes. _

_Dammit!_

_With his options running low, he had to risk his head. As a dense branch hit the ground, he flew up and swung his Baterang deep in its bark. A baritone moan seemed to have escaped from the ground as the tree's branches flung back and consequently forced other trees to retract, offering an escape for the Batman. He launched himself out of the fortress of trees._

_He darted along a wide path, swaying trees angrily creaking in a row, which flanked him on both sides. He had to jump over long branches sweeping below him. His heart leapt to his throat when he heard horse hooves booming behind him, catching up to him by the second._

_He looked from right to left. More mad trees lining the sides. There was no way animals could approach them now that they're posing a danger to every moving thing. He thought fast and hard. _

_If I were a lost deer, where would I cower to? He nearly tripped when he heard the arrow being adjusted once again. It would have been easier if he could just give the whistle to the goddess right at that moment. But Cupid firmly told him that if he did likewise, Artemis wouldn't believe him that the gods would steal her prized tool; she would kill him before he had the chance to confirm the truth. _

_Smoke bombs were useless when he didn't have a cover to turn to. Left with a risky choice, he dropped to the ground suddenly, his body rolling fast to the side when the horse was pulled harshly to a stop. But in its confusion, instead of turning around, it stood on its hind hooves, bringing the rider to the hard floor. _

_She cursed loudly, her glare fixed on the fleeing Batman. _

"_You will die before the day ends!" she screamed as he risked himself by running back into the trees, the compass directing him into it._

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_He stopped at a low, peaceful creek, cupping his gloved hands and filling in some water for him to drink. As the cool, clean water nursed his parched throat, he felt the water freezing into ice in his mouth, as with his body, when a deer came trotting to the motionless river. Its eyes curiously watched him from the other end of the river. When it couldn't linger its stare on the Batman for long, it glanced down, its pink tongue slipping into the water as its ears remained poised in alertness._

_Still unmoving, a volley of schemes flooded into his head that he could almost feel his brain beating with the same rhythm as his accelerating heart. Reaching for his pocket while slowly retreating towards the dangerously wooded area, he quietly dropped a Baterang on the ground. _

_The deer stared at him. He stared back. It stepped back a little, so did the Batman. It cocked its head as if trying to read his thoughts. _

_Batman wondered if it could. _

_Then it darted to the trees behind it, leaving Batman alone but pleased. _

_He looked at the verdant, floral region ahead. Skinny trees bordered the river's edge but he could tell that if they dared slap him, it might do less damage than what the fat trees behind him had tried to do. He tightened the bandage around his arm. Pain throbbed where a thorn previously struck his flesh, but he instantly brushed it aside as he tiptoed on the rocks that led him to the other side of the stream. _

_In this primitive dimension, he could feel sought stillness, as he never before found in his contaminated city. In fact, Gotham seemed more bestial and chaotic than a forest inhabited by creatures of minimal desires. _

_He leapt over another rock, lightly landed on another. _

_Somehow, he didn't care if he portrayed a burlesque male version of Red Riding Hood. _

_He landed on the soft, green ground. It felt like plush carpet against his soiled footwear. _

_Batman? No, call him, He-man of the Estranged Jungle. _

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_She tilted her head up. _

_Sniff. _

_She crinkled her nose as the scent of sweat and blood wisped into the tiny holes that seemed too small to be called nostrils. It looked more like it were pricked by syringes fashioned for beauty than for ample breathing._

_Her gaze fell on the Baterang at her feet. She picked it up, confirmed the scent of its owner, then crushed it in her grasp. It fell, jagged and broken, on the dusty earth. Her horse whined softly at the ferocity of its master. _

"_Calm down, Bella. All will be well after I pierce the heart of the ominous intruder." She gently caressed her chestnut-colored mare's muzzle. "Shh… I will not spare him for trespassing unto our tranquil lands."_

_She looked up and saw gray clouds slithering overhead, blocking Helios' bright star above. _

_Her face grew sober once again. She could smell her whistle in the hands of another, her precious gift given to her by her twin brother, Apollo. She glowered at the deflated trees ahead. She imagined her whistle handled by an intruder, a stranger, a mortal. _

_Her prey. _

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_Batman whirled his head around when he heard coquettish giggles ringing about him. He leaned to the right, looked up, then he stopped. _

_Hee, hee, hee, hee, hee, hee…_

_He turned around. Nothing moved. _

_He stepped forward. _

_More hee, hee… _

_He abruptly turned around and he stumbled back when women, naked, loomed before him in a semi-circle. _

_He was amidst immobilized trees and multihued blossoms. This side of the forest was beautiful, magical. And if Wally were in Bruce's shoes now, the Speedster might have underwent nosebleed and fainted. _

_He immediately shot up when they approached him, slowly, ethereally, as if he died and went to Fairy World. Everything was a hazy image excluding their bare, voluptuous curves sliding towards him. _

_Long, thin fingers reached for his chest without him realizing it after feeling their tender touch; mischievous teeth nipped his lip; their pale skin glowed with sweaty sheen; their dark, wavy hair hardly concealed their breasts; and their eyes—a light green—bore into his. _

_He tried to look away from their eyes but it was hypnotizing. They were beautiful. So enchanting. He could feel hungry lips clashing against his, hard. He thought of his purpose here, his reason for coming to this wonderful place. Nothing came._

_Everything was a blur… except for these… women. _

_But a small voice kept badgering him. It grew louder and more distinct. It sounded familiar. He barely unearthed it when Diana's smile radiated his conscious mind and her kind, mellifluous voice reverberated in his ears._

_As if a persistent star flickered in the darkness, the memories blinked at him, the revelation brightened his foggy head, and the confusion and blankness zipped past him altogether. He pulled away from the nymphs' grasps—struggled against their lustful desires—and ran the opposite direction from where they gathered, from where they pouted at him. _

_He ran to a threshold of trees that stood the same height as his. He crossed through the doorway furled by the trees, and to his relief, he was at a glade. Like looking through a tunnel that led to the sky, he looked up and saw a grayish tint in the sky. He wasn't superstitious so he didn't feel the need to dread. _

_He checked the compass and his brows knitted in puzzlement. He shook it a bit but the needle remained pointing towards him. He peered behind him but found nothing. That was odd. He turned around and edged closer to where the needle was pointing. _

_He crouched low, and intuitively, he pushed aside the bush that covered his line of vision. He saw another patch of clearing. But what arrested him was the sight that stood before him. _

_It was the same deer as earlier. And it noticed him but didn't move. Batman was relieved. _

_Before he could inch closer, a sharp jab in the lower of his back startled him. He didn't move, knowing better. _

"_My whistle," the voice said coldly. _

_Batman reached for it, but stopped himself. Knowing that his life depended on it, he said, "You'd kill me the second I show it to you. Can't I add my stipulations first?"_

_She went silent for a minute. "Begging for mercy is pointless. I could kill you right now and rummage for my whistle in the filth of your garments. It is easier and my knife is swift." But she still didn't move. _

"_I'm not here to beg for mercy."_

"_Then what is it you are implying to do?"_

"_Would you believe me if I am here not to endanger any of your possessions?"_

_She jabbed the knife deeper, making Batman wince. But she didn't go any further. "My whistle," she didn't ask but demanded. _

"_May I stand up? Crouching low is making my back ache," Batman said. He was stalling time. _

_Artemis thought for a while. "Very well. But your back is to me."_

"_Yes." Batman stood up, fished out the whistle. He could hear Artemis reaching for it. "Are you aware of the Mortal Tribulations?"_

_Artemis stopped. "Yes." She opened her mouth, but closed it again. She cursed under her breath. _

"_Zeus sent you here," she said softly that Batman had to cock his head to hear. _

"_With Cupid's permission, yes." _

_She grabbed the whistle from his hand and blew on it. The deer's ears rose and it bopped in their direction. It darted past Bruce and lingered at Artemis' side. After a few minutes, she said, "Although the choice of the trials' settings are random, I hate it when my father doesn't let me know what is going on. He rashly delegates me as one of the tormentors of those mortals who wish to cross Olympia's gates."_

"_If there's a possibility that some intruders are here for the trial, why not inquire them first?"_

_She shifted behind him. "Because it takes too much time. I do not wish to waste it."_

_He could slightly hear her cooing her deer. Batman went silent before asking, "Why didn't you kill me when you had the chance?"_

_She didn't answer him immediately. "As I was hunting for you, I noticed you didn't hurt any of my animals unlike what most humans did ruthlessly just to pass through my forbidden terrain. Maybe you did hurt one of my trees but you did not chop it down like what humans usually do today." She paused. _

'_I almost did,' Batman thought to himself. _

"_Before I approached you, I saw Apollinaire—my deer—watching you but she was not afraid. Animals can detect fury and bloodlust in mortals. So I considered you." _

"_Apollinaire must be real clever to perceive so. No wonder you chose her as your fondest animal," Batman said. Artemis nodded, smiled lightly. _

"_Why do you want to enter Olympia?" she asked after a minute's silence. _

"_To save someone." _

_Artemis waited for him to continue. Batman sighed. _

"_Princess Diana of Themyscyra."_

_She gasped, then fell quiet. After some hesitation, she said, "You are… with whom she works with in the Man's World?" Even before asking him that obvious question, she already had that inkling just by observing his quick movements and strange costume up close. Most mortals who were randomly dropped to her territory wore plain clothes and were clearly doing it for glory and fame. Some, who were doomed, did it to snare one of her creatures and roast it for dinner. They once believed that her animals gave eternal life if one eats their meat. But they made such a horrible mistake._

_The memory angered her. _

_Apollinaire licked her hand, and the red mist subsided._

_Batman slowly nodded, relaxing a bit when Artemis knew of Diana's position and purpose on earth. _

"_Could you tell me what happened to her?" She blushed at her ignorance. She was thankful that Diana's friend didn't see her embarrassment. _

"_I really don't have time…" he glanced at the watch. An hour and a half passed by so quickly. Artemis saw this and nodded. _

"_All right. Since your intentions seem true, I will spare you. But only on one condition." _

"_Do tell."_

"_Please save my friend."_

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_(The second test: God of Wealth)_

_Fire soared in impossible heights, thus, causing Bruce to sweat copiously until his cape felt heavy behind him. As he ran along the winding path to Acheron, the river of woe, he clutched the bundle of flowers closer to his chest. He was afraid that the flowers given to him by Artemis might unexpectedly wilt in the sultry heat of the Underworld. _

_The wound in his arm throbbed slightly. He was thankful that Artemis applied some medicinal herbs on the gash before she bid him farewell; it felt better now when the blood stopped oozing and it began to clot._

_He looked up and narrowed his eyes cautiously. In case swooping devils or grating imps wished to attack him, he was always ready for it, his hand feeling for his Baterang. No matter how unbearable or terror-stricken it might be, he wouldn't lose, not now, not ever. _

_He followed the river's edge that would lead him to Charon's port. He dug out the coin given to him by Hippolyta and dropped it in the skeletal hand of the boatman. Charon nodded, said creakily, "Tartarus?"_

"_Tartarus," Batman echoed in confirmation. _

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Nightwing's heart reeled forward—he could almost feel a bruise in his sternum—when he saw Batman dozing on and off. He felt Donna's hand gripping his tightly as they watched Bruce falling asleep. He glanced up at the clock above the screen and cursed softly.

He scowled at the back of Helios' head. In a mini-theatre, with fogs inexplicably rising from nowhere, Nightwing, Flash, and Donna were sitting three rows behind the appointed gods to pass judgment on Bruce; the cardinal gods were Zeus, Hera, Ares, Helios (the Sun god and Circe's father), Cupid, and Hippolyta, respectively.

He could feel the tension building up as Bruce's head bobbed up and down. He turned a hard gaze at Helios' back and wished he could roast the god's bleached hair with the power of his mind. The Sun god was the reason for Bruce's fainting spell a few hours ago. When Helios disclosed to them that he did it, Nightwing nearly wrung the pompous bastard's thick neck if Donna hadn't pulled him.

Donna made it clear that if it weren't for him, they wouldn't have gotten inside. But Nightwing felt prejudice in this one. Somehow, Helios shouldn't even be here. He was not one of the top gods. Sure, Cupid was also one of the minor Divinities, but he and Hippolyta had a reason to be here, watching Bruce's every move, every tactic, to save Diana.

He noticed Hippolyta's shoulder tense up, but Cupid rubbed it consolingly. Nightwing's hand was beginning to throb under Donna's mighty hold around his hand.

He was about to slip his hand away when Flash interrupted him, "Do you think the color red is an inconvenience?"

Dick arched a brow at him. "What do you mean?"

"Y'know… blood, war, anger…" Flash muttered self-despondently.

"… Life, Valentine's Day, a sweet sports car, the Flash," Nightwing added quite cheerily.

But Flash didn't seem to hear him. "Women's emergency."

By now Donna looked at him curiously. "Wally? Is there something you're not telling us?"

Flash looked at them for a minute, then smiled. "Nope."

He loved seeing their curious faces suddenly turning into an epithet of bemusement then annoyance. He grinned when Donna slapped his knee.

"You're such a dick," Donna hissed at him.

They froze when few heads turned to them. Hippolyta frowned at Donna.

"Please don't use my name as a swearword. It sounds… vulgar. I feel vulgar," Dick said when the gods finally looked forward.

Flash grinned. "We live in a vulgar world, _Dick_. The only thing ya can do is be proud, like me." Flash grinned, folded him arms behind his head, and leaned back.

"Wally, Wally alligator," Donna filled in.

"Wally, Wally ain't no instigator," Wally finished with a goofy grin.

Dick humorously shook his head. "Wally , Wally, ye barb shan't slay a moderator." After a short pause, Dick said, "You're nervous?"

"How can you tell?"

"Your jokes are bothersome."

Flash suddenly turned to him and whispered to Donna, "He doesn't appreciate my jokes because he's starting to act like his old man."

"I heard that, and I'm not acting like Bruce." Nightwing elbowed Flash's arm. Your jokes are really corny."

"Corny, maybe. Bothersome? No."

Silence ruled.

Then, Flash mumbled but clear enough for Dick to comprehend, "Like father, like son."

Dick slowly turned to him, his lips in a tight line. He feigned Batman's dour expression and said lowly, "I. Hate. You."

Donna giggled, her hands clasping her belly. Hippolyta scowled at her. Dick could finally move his numb hand once again and a tear almost dropped.

Their attentions quickly turned to the screen. Batman was fully awake and staggering to get up with his wounded leg. But a figure approaching Bruce caught their eyes.

"Who's he? Flash asked.

Donna answered, "Hermes."

By the sound of her calm voice, they understood that Hermes wasn't there to torment Bruce. Not him. Nightwing felt his shoulders relax.

"What's he gonna do?" Flash asked again.

"You'll see."

As they watched the live adventures of He-Man saving Sleeping Amazon unfolding before their eyes, Flash watched Dick massaging his hand, his friend's eyes blissful… and wet?

"This isn't exactly melodramatic genre, Dick."

Dick turned to Flash, his brows knitted together. "What?"

"You need a tissue to blot away those tears?"

Dick opened his mouth to retort but Donna turned Dick's face to look at her. She stifled a laugh when she saw his mask was a bit soaked.

Dick swiped Donna's hand away and said, "Oh yeah… seeing Bruce unconscious and waking up is such a teary-eyed moment. Boo hoo."

They laughed.

A crack of thunder boomed behind them and they jumped in their seats.

"Thou shall shut those lips or leave! This is no laughing subject!" Zeus voice roared around them.

When Zeus' bellow was no more than echoing sound waves, they sat quietly in their seats, somberly watching Hermes cleaning and healing Bruce's wound. After a moment of restrained stillness, Flash whispered,

"Dudududum. Dudududoooom…"

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Yaw like? Naw? Why nawt...? Tell meh! ;)


	11. Dead Heart

I'm so sorry, so very sorry for taking too long to update. Before I knew it, I had very little progress but so many spells of staring dumbly at nothing in particular. All I could do was think about nothing except a possible scene of Bruce and Diana talking… just interacting thru mindless words… no loving contact connecting them… just their lips moving monotonously… Batman then turning away… Diana flying to the light…

Mmm… that could happen… I wonder…

Enjoy!

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_(Continuation of the second test: God of Wealth)_

_Plop… swish… plop… swish… plop… swish… _

_Bruce tried not to stare at the paddle that Charon was using to scull the wobbly boat down the murky waters that snaked along the Underworld's sea of treacherous passages. He wanted so badly to close his eyes, to stop dimming his addled brain and focus on Diana._

_He turned his eyes away from Charon's skeletal arm and crooked paddle, looked up. Stalactites of gray stones aimed at him, its sharp edges glinting at him forebodingly. He sighed and looked to the sides that bordered the still river. Sitting at the edge of the rocky grounds were occasional green imps and gritty, red devils returning his stare. _

_If they didn't look so godawful, they could have made adequate Christmas' baubles._

_He kept composed, relaxed when he noticed them flapping their wings. Charon saw them jeering in his direction, and he barked at them, "Atempt… toooo fly nir… my boat… rownd twooo… of butt-belt iz juz rownd… the Styx's bend!" _

_Bruce smirked. "Round two?" _

_Since doing nothing but listening to the plopping of waters made him drowsy, he might as well babble and question Charon, hoping that this method might boost his very little knowledge of the Underworld's deadfalls, if there was any. In retrospect, Bruce knew that **there** would be a lot of pitfalls._

_This **was** the Underworld. Could he ever expect a peaceful trail of contended dead people letting him pass with no trouble? Same goes for the approaching encounter with Cerberus and the unavoidable brawl against the blue imps later on. He could never expect good things lighting his way here. Plus, menace and treason were just as inevitable as the stink of death rising to his nose now. _

_Rubbing his nose, Bruce could tell that Charon rarely spoke to his doomed passengers. Charon shifted uneasily, his shoulders wobbling upward and downward, his neck turning slightly so his hollow eye could steal a glance at the Batman. _

_Batman calmly propped his right leg over his other, his eyes not glancing at Charon's uneasy twitches. Charon's straw hat, which was a very disturbing shade of brownish green, nearly fluttered off his rust-colored skull as his head continued to reel back and forth. _

_Blowing out an unhappy sigh, Charon muttered, "Nudnikz dey rrrr… zee no relevance in deir exiztenze… dey rrr as annoyin… az… flies zwarmin… rownd ded mortalz…" _

_Bruce nearly hit his head on the boat's edge when it bobbed a bit. He was bending forward so that he could understand Charon's very, very eccentric accent. Charon's 's' was pronounced as 'z'… and he uttered each word with a prolonged finish. Bruce didn't hear Charon's query as he was wondering if Charon was either German or Polish. He finally realized that Charon stopped oaring and was looking at Bruce, exasperation barely evident in his skeletal features, considering that he didn't have eyebrows. _

"_What?"_

_Charon's croaky, hollow voice paused before reiterating his question. "Hu zent yooo? Yooo du not zeem… ded. Y boder… meee?"_

_After saying that, Charon resumed his rowing but his earless head was slanted, as if waiting for a reply. _

_Bruce ran his eyes up and down Charon's dead-emaciated back. He then said, "Limitless dead souls are being conveyed to Tartarus. I don't see myself as a bother to you to be quite frank."_

_Charon nodded his head repeatedly, slowly. "Yooo… remind… meee of… Herculez tho…"_

"_Hercules?"_

"_Yezz… Herculez…"_

_Batman waited for Charon to continue, but it never came. Apparently Charon wasn't the smartest being in the Mythology realm. Bruce imagined Charon as an entity born of nothing more than remains of segregated human bones. Maybe even those of devils'. Bruce stared at Charon's humanly semblance and doubted he had a hipbone of a goblin._

_After a moment's silence, Batman said, "It's quite a wonder for you to remember Hercules… considering he went through here more than a millennium ago. And I doubt you've scrutinized your passengers first before relocating them to the other end. It's either your back's to me or vice versa.."_

"_Herculez…?" _

_Plop… swish… plop… swish… plop… _

_Batman imagined himself wringing Charon's bony neck out of sheer impatience. _

_Sighing, Batman asked, "Why did you say I reminded you of Hercules then?"_

_Stretch of silence pierced the hot gloom, and more daydreams of Batman kicking Charon's bony ass off the rickety boat flooded Bruce's head. He reckoned he could reach Tartarus in less than a minute—a feat Charon seemed incapable of. Batman glanced at the watch and saw that six minutes have passed. _

_In addition, did he look anything like Hercules? He touched his face in hope that his impending fear would never be confirmed. He growled inwardly, dismissed his inconsequential worry. How could he possibly know what Hercules looked like? _

_The greatest hero of Greece could either be swimming in a cesspool of eternal torment here in the Underworld or be spotted dancing and wallowing in wine, ambrosia, and nymphs in Olympia at this very moment. A supreme being's life wasn't as farfetched as the mortal's celebrity-orgies. And Bruce didn't give a shit about it, as it was highly useless to waste his time by delving into a paranormal similarity that could have intoxicated a Greek Mythology buff to death. _

_Nevertheless, he outlined his nose with his fingers. He'd seen many supposed images of Hercules' fair-colored hair, aquiline nose, massive physique, and many stories of Hercules' instances of wielding beefy force rather than applying logical means to fend off adversaries only meant that Bruce Wayne wasn't a- millennium-old descendent of an ancient Greek hero. _

_Much less he resembled Hercules' Hellenic features. _

_Batman was about to dismiss the question when Charon softly said, "Not only… Herculez… Orpheuz too… many alive… hav come… and… go. But… most lost… sumding… of precious value… to them…"_

_Bruce could feel frigid hands clutching his speeding heart, and he wondered if nicotine or booze could have actually eased his frazzled nerves right now. He breathed in deeply, and muttered, "Got any good advice?"_

"_Wat… iz your… purrrpose…?" _

_Batman's brow arched questioningly, but he answered anyway, "To scrounge something from Hades."_

_A pause. _

"_Haydz… yooo say?" His rowing slowed a bit before he continued, "He'z not hiiir…" _

_Bruce's eyebrows knitted together in puzzlement. "Then where is he?"_

"_D god never tellz… But… hiz wife izz in her chamberrr…" _

_Bruce opened his mouth to further ask about Hades' absence—why didn't the gods tell him anything about it?—but the boat skidded to a sudden halt that Bruce had to leap immediately from the boat to the hard ground before he could stumble over the edge and into the disgusting water that looked more like a river of bile than clear H2O. He growled inaudibly to himself, then he instinctively thanked Charon. _

"_Nooo human shuld dank meee… I bring… yooo to eteeernal torment''z gayt…" _

_000000000000000000_

"_You don't smell like rotten mortal…" A growl alerted Bruce to look up and feel for his Batarang. He made sure that the posies Artemis gave him were securely bound inside a water-filled pouch tied to his belt. His feet were poised ready, either to jump to safer clearing when necessary or to attack the gargantuan, ugly figure that stood beside a wrought-iron rusty gate that was Tartarus. _

_He scowled at it… them…? _

_Black, shorthaired fur barely shone with appealing sheen as the creature stood up in all fours; its choppers was set in a perpetual grimace; yellow drool dripped from its wrinkled muzzle; and its three pairs of eyes watched him carefully. _

_Returning their burning gaze, Bruce noticed the head attached to his farthest left was not intently examining him. And oddly, it had… long eyelashes…? _

_He was snapped back to the present when the dog-head in the middle growled in a low voice, "Are you here to be our dinner?"_

_Batman inched to the side, but Cerberus followed his deliberately slow move. "What makes you think so?"_

_Batman slid to the right. Cerberus mimicked him. _

_The head to his right answered, "You are of the living. You are not allowed here. No living mortal should ever come through here unless Hades gives you permission. And we don't see any. So, you must be food." _

_When it inched closer, Batman stepped back. _

"_I don't have time for this," he mumbled. _

"_So do we. We are scheduled to accept more dead spirits in less than five minutes. If you do not wish to be dinner, leave," the one to the right growled lowly. It bared its teeth at Batman. "What will it be, mortal?" _

"_Two words, boys."_

_The two heads cocked their heads questioningly to their right when the previously quiet head finally spoke. Batman's eyebrows shot up when it looked at him, its muzzle narrower and its slow gait and voice indisputably feminine. _

"_Breath mints, my dear brothers." Its muzzle stretched to an ugly smirk. "Next time, I do the talking. I could have held my breath for another ten seconds but I simply couldn't. I am positive Persephone won't mind you asking for some." _

_The middle one snarled at her. "Shut it. Can't you see we are guarding the gate? And how dare you delegate yourself as the next interrogator! Broman and I have always done a fine job. Unlike you… who let Orpheus pass before…"_

"_He was such a decent man. His eyes were so cute when he pleaded with us… I couldn't eat him then. And I was glad Eurydice didn't make it out. She was a selfish bitch."_

_The head on the far left—Bruce assumed he was Broman—barked at her. "You are always like this! Exceedingly immature and careless! I will have to report you to Hades… and let's see how you will like it when he chops off your head and hangs you up his wall!"_

_She only scoffed at them and then directed their shared body to the side. They swore at her when she successfully distracted them from the Batman. When they began snarling, howling insults at her, Batman saw the mischievous, rebellious glint in her eyes. _

_Her yellow eyes fleetingly smiled at him, and he got the message just as he fired his grappling hook to the gate and hoisted himself up and over the shaky gateway. He landed on the ground when he heard Cerberus—the two heads at least—turn around and bark fiercely at his back, their sharp teeth biting at the air. _

"_Calypso, you idiot! You let him go!" They thrashed at the gate's lock but Batman was already far off. _

"_Ooops… I think I did it again…" Calypso sang ironically. "That's for eating my hobgoblin two nights ago…"_

_Broman screeched at her, nearly lunged for her throat if the middle dog didn't block his target. "I was hungry! I could have eaten the dead mortals passing but they're intended for more unbearable torture than my belly, so I had to eat yours, you dunce! And you're trying to get even by letting this… human pass!"_

"_Yes, and I don't regret doing so…"_

"_Even if Hades hangs you up the wall!" _

"_I'll prefer the wall anytime than living another millennium breathing the same air as you two." She willed their body to sit. "I'm asking Persephone for some breath mints the next time she visits us."_

"_Bitch..." her joint brothers growled at her. _

_000000000000000000_

'_So far so good,' Batman thought to himself when he quietly crouched low behind a stalagmite as two bald devils passed by, rumbling lowly and inaudibly to one another. He waited for them to pass before he straightened and started his journey up. _

_He followed the rocky path; its direction slanted upwards but was abruptly turned to a downward slope at a turn. He looked straight ahead to see an irregular, indefinite formation that could hardly be called a fortress. More like its skeleton. He instantly quieted his footsteps when he heard hoarse whispers echoing about him. _

_His heart fell when he reached a riverbank, fire spewed out of it instead of water. Batman stepped back before it had the chance to lick his shoe and burn it. He scanned its length, looked to his right and left, and saw that the river began from a curve at the unseen distance on the right side. _

_Judging by the current's left-bound flow, he only knew it to lead him somewhere of probable significance. So he turned left and was beginning to resume his pacing walk when he heard more hollow echoes and cries from… the river of fire. _

_He glanced down fast enough to dodge a bleeding arm that was trying to grab his leg. Knowing that slowing down might cost his life, he ran. As his legs pushed forward, harder, more bleeding, roasted, emaciated bodies tried to climb out of Phlegethon, but were later pulled back in the river before they could obstruct Batman's way._

_Nonetheless, their rotting stench devoured what Batman could call the breathable air 'pleasantly close to a garbage dump'. He gagged when he breathed in a lungful of spoiled flesh inhabiting the sultry air. He covered his nose and pushed down the bile creeping up his throat. _

_Suddenly, he tripped forward when a hand shot up from the river and swiped below him. Too fast for him to anticipate it and damn slick of a tormented soul to do so. He scrambled up when the burning soul stepped out of the river. Before the fire pulled him back in, Batman recognized the agonized, roasted face glowering at him. _

_The Riddler. _

_He darted past it, his heart frantically beating two at a time. His head began to ache but he shook it away. He suddenly remembered it, remembered the stormy night outside the R&S building where he fought Riddler, when he kicked Riddler off a railing and the man fell to a cauldron of burning metal. His death was instant._

_He felt nothing—no guilt or bitterness—occupying his surprised revelation when he stopped at Phlegethon's end and the sick smell of burning flesh slowly subsided. _

_Breathing steadily once again, he faced two rivers that snaked in two different directions, like standing at the fork of the road where his fate bordered on luck or apt decision. He glanced at the river at his right, its current very still. The left's run was faster and Batman could distinguish some souls swimming in it. _

_He tilted his head to listen and what he mostly discerned from their cries were, 'who… who… who…?' _

_Closing his eyes to recall his Greek Mythology, Styx and Lethe came to mind. Styx, which lined the right route, was the river of the unbreakable oath by which the gods swore. That much Batman knew; he didn't probe further what the gods' oaths might be. Winding the left side was Lethe, the river of forgetfulness. Batman glanced at the watch. _

_Eleven minutes whisked by. Damn. _

_What could he expect after Lethe? More souls calling out, 'who… who'? He could be expecting an aviary of owls looming above him… asking the same unknown question. Who laid ahead? Who was awaiting him on the other side? _

_He scanned Styx's ceaseless course. Where the gods swore their oaths. If Hades' palace was amidst many-gated, crowded sketchy assemblies and plagued spirits, if wide wastelands or wan and cold meadows of pallid, ghostly flowers circumscribed the kingdom of the ruler of death, could Styx be the wisest hunch? Lethe? _

_Breathing in the stale air, he darted to the left side. He pressed his body to the wall that precariously banked the river. He pushed his body harder to the grazing wall when long, translucent fingers attempted to grab him. He sidestepped a little more when a hand pulled his ankle. _

_Unable to kick it off—its grip may be snake-tight, but when he tried slashing it off with his Batarang, his trusty weapon phased through its arm—he was pulled into the river. _

_The icy water robbed the air out of his lungs the moment he plunged foot-first into the water. Shocked, he shot his legs up, his head resurfacing but he was still too slow when hands pulled him down. Empty eye sockets stared at him, their long, greasy hair refusing Batman to escape; cords of hair tightened around his wrists and ankles. He shook them off, tried to reach down his utility belt for his Breathing Apparatus, but they just tauten their strands of hair around him, causing his skin to break open under the impact. Blood oozed and fogged the water around him, but he soon lost sense of it. _

_He watched them coming at him, dead souls' pale hands adhesive and strangling him. Several hands lunged for his neck, shaking the life out of him. He still tried to fight back but their toothless wails and empty eyes slowly soaked the life out of him. _

_His mind gradually went blank, the light gradually blinked and dimmed and went dark. Who am I? What am I? Why? Where? Who? Who are you? He couldn't feel the pain in his lungs and wrists, what was pain? Forgotten souls stared at him, he wondered who they were. Forgotten souls… who…? What…? Who was he?_

_His eyes began to sag, but suddenly the cords around him loosened… and were finally released. But he still didn't know what to do. He sank deeper, watching the souls scatter, their horrified shrieks mute but their faces wild with fear. He squinted his eyes as two souls swam to him, their forms more vivid and luminous than the rest. _

_One of them smiled at him, kissed him. She rubbed her cold hand against his cheek. The gesture was familiar. He squinted his eyes at her, her face recognized in his subconscious but forgotten in his conscious. Still smiling, she pulled him upward, her sparkling blue eyes mesmerizing him. _

'_Who are you?'_

_She was silent._

_He repeated his question. _

_She looked at him, smiled. 'You've forgotten already?'_

'_You want me to repeat myself? That's why I'm asking you.'_

_She only laughed and glanced behind him. Batman followed her gaze and saw the figure swimming with them. He too was smiling a billionaire's grin. Batman swore under his breath. What were they so cocky about?_

_He coughed, vomited, gagged when the freezing air leaked through his waterproof clothing. He wrapped his cloak tighter around him, tried to clamp his clattering teeth shut. But it was useless. He clattered, shook tremendously as he forced his body to stand up. Rubbing his arms to stroke heat into his system, he glanced behind and saw a clear, greenish pond replacing Lethe's gray, murky river. _

_He searched for the pond's origin and saw a low waterfall pouring into the pond near him. He noticed that the falls were of grayish color. He then stared at the clear, greenish pond—which was encompassed by jagged rocks and sky-blue grass—below him. This must be Lethe's stopping point. He crouched low, his gloved fingers damped by the water, his hand reaching out for something. _

_Two vague figures swam towards him. His weak hands cupped the water. Who were they? He dipped and splashed a little. Why did they save him? He gazed at the waterfall. They looked disturbingly familiar. He sighed. Who were they? He didn't even realize that blood was still gushing from his deep injuries._

"_Still figuring it out?" _

_Batman swiveled around abruptly, nearly lost his footing when his knee buckled. Muscles still cold and teeth clattering humiliatingly, he reached for his Batarang but stopped himself. He observed the woman in front of him. _

_Her chalk-white skin was luminous against the drab, grey room sheltering them; her slender figure was wrapped in a revealing white cloth as a gold buckle precariously linked her dress together; her soft, green eyes were unquestionably sad but kind; and her dark hair framed her incredibly high cheekbones. She was beautiful. _

_Persephone. _

_She strode forward, her feet barely touching the ground with divine grace and ease. Bruce noticed a towel in her arm when she was a spooning distance from him. He accepted it when she held it to him. He mumbled his thanks and she smiled and unsuspectingly she touched his frigid cheek. _

_A gesture so familiar. _

_He jumped, gasped in comprehending shock. No. It couldn't be. _

'_Have you forgotten already?' she'd asked. _

… _He was smiling a billionaire's grin… Could it be? No friggin' way. _

"_Don't deny it, please," she said demurely as she applied liniment to his open wounds. He winced but he willingly accepted more heavenly ointment on his open, bleeding wounds. Blood still dripped to the floor—he wondered if a vein was popped—and Persephone quickly tore off a piece of her tunic and wound it tightly around the overflowing gash. _

_Bruce only felt cold… and uncaring. Was it really them? He could feel a tug at his heart. He actually missed them… forgotten about them. He squinted his eyes to stop thinking, to stop feeling. The past was the past… there was no point in delving it when it has already been done… _

"_That's the kind of attitude that lost them to Lethe," Persephone said as she added more liniment. "You may have achieved your goal of saving others so they wouldn't experience as you've once had, but as you've moved further on, become more successful and engrossed in your work, you've forgotten, or rather, forced to forget the boy who loved and accepted any affection given to him. The boy they loved. The boy they died for."_

_Bruce pulled his hand away from her. "I have never forgotten about them! Every nanosecond of my life I have dedicated it to Gotham in remembrance of them, in honor of them. I love them." _

_Persephone said nothing but walked away. She bent down on the edge of a waterhole on the distant side and dug a goblet into it. She straightened and handed the goblet to Bruce's trembling hand. "This will warm you up nicely." _

_Bruce took a swig of it and nearly gagged when it burned down his esophagus. Persephone giggled at his shocked reaction. "Very strong wine indeed. During winter, the Underworld can be deadly cold. So, this really helps warm us."_

_Bruce nodded and frowned at the quarter-drained cup. "Thanks," he croaked. _

_She lightly smiled, her sad eyes saddening Bruce. But as much as he wanted to commiserate with her, he didn't have time. He opened his mouth in question, but Persephone unexpectedly handed him a ring. _

_He took it, examined it by weighing its heaviness in his palm. It was as light as a feather. He stared at the mark embedded in its face. Fire. Hardly a surprise. _

"_Why are you willing to give this to me? Especially when it belongs to your husband." _

_She smirked at him. "My way of passive-aggressive revolt." _

_Bruce nodded, his face lightened. "Are women really treated badly here?"_

_Persephone tilted her head interestedly. "I couldn't say my husband is unjust to me… he's just austere with me." She moved to a chair perched on a platform and sat on it. "During my younger years, I made many attempts to escape. When it seemed futile, I acted like a spoiled little girl. I wasn't a pleasant care for Hades and I didn't care. But when Zeus negotiated with his brother that I could visit earth once a year, I calmed a bit. But Hades become very cautious."_

"_Sorry to hear that," Batman mumbled. _

"_Calypso has been an entertaining company. So, it's not as bad as before I acquainted myself with her." Her smile was depressingly pseudo that Bruce approached her, covered her pale hand in his. _

"_A gift from above." He slickly dug out the posies from the pouch and handed it to her. _

_Tears streamed down her cheeks and she smiled at him. Bruce smiled too, his dimple caving below his lip's left side. She chuckled, patted his cheek. "Keep smiling like that, Diana would just swoon at your feet."_

_Surprised, he asked, "How did you—?"_

"_Hades may seem inexorable and ruthless, but he cares for his daughter." Persephone narrowed her eyes at him as she lovingly sucked in the scent of the flowers. "In fact, you and Hades are quite alike." _

"_Like hell we are." _

"_Watching the every move and turn of those whom you cherish… I don't see the difference." _

_She grinned and her eyes were sincerely warm and appreciative. _

_He gave up and nodded his thanks. She kissed his cheek, let her hand rest there. He slowly pulled it away and asked, "Exit?"_

"_I hear the next trial is the 'Ruler of the Sea'." _

_He nodded in confirmation and was pointed to Lethe's stopping point, otherwise known as the pond from where he was fished out. Bruce turned to ask but she pushed a finger to his lips. _

"_Trust me." _

_He put on his Breathing Apparatus and dived in. He trusted her. _

_00000000000000000_

_To be continued… (soon, I promise)_


	12. Where Truth Lies

**Thanks be to the following; your reviews never fail to brighten up my weary days! Lavender Gaia, CatGirl R and S Fan, Melissa37, arrrgghimapiratenow, alittlesummerwine, oneredneckgoddess, klutzyspaz, Chris, and ccabello—you're all so wonderful! Thanks guys! **

**Enjoy!**

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"Wally?" Fire rapped on the Flash's door twice, her voice hesitant and cautious. When she pressed her ear to the door's cold surface and heard none of Flash's escapable shuffle of footsteps or cheery holler of a hello, she gave up and walked to her room.

Ice was sipping iced tea, glanced up once when her friend sat from across her.

"Flash ran away?" Ice feigned an impassive mask and perused the entertainment section stashed between heaps of catastrophic news of Star Gazette's current issue.

Fire frowned at her. "He must be on another mission, that's all." Her tone was wistful and soft. Ice looked up, and seeing her friend's sprightly eyes taking a crook down brooding lane made her bolt up and fetch Fire some of the usual bitter-black coffee.

Brewing coffee and sniffing it occasionally, she wondered how coffee could actually help in soothing the addled nerves. It tasted downright bitter and the after-breath was just awful. And it was pricking hot. She glanced at the room thermometer pasted to the kitchenette's wall and the red line dropped to below zero Celsius. She smiled.

She couldn't blame Fire for feeling cold and sad now. Resigned to pour the hellish brew that tired, cold people go barmy about, she held her breath and poured coffee into Fire's _I Love Milk_ mug and walked back to the table. Fire was reading one of the catastrophic headlines that Ice refused to read because it only alluded to more bloody wars and diplomatic feuds that were frustratingly never-ending between countries that could never get along.

Creating nuclear missiles and engaging in preemptive onslaughts were always the answers, weren't they?

Fire smiled and thanked Ice's voluntary duty as coffee-brewer and bearer. "For someone who refuses to enter Starbucks, you could become a very potential rival if you could just take…" She pushed the mug in Ice's hand. "A sip and reconsider."

Ice pushed it back and rolled her eyes. "I've tried and smelled too much to know that coffee could never please me more than a glass of iced tea topped with a squirt of fresh lemon." She gulped down her glass and set it down with exhaled satisfaction. "Why? You want to open a coffee business once we're old and unable to shoot fire and ice out of our hands?"

Fire cocked her head to the side as if pondering on Ice's inadvertent suggestion. "Y'know…" Fire leaned her chin on her open palms and gave Ice a sexy, lopsided smile.

Ice scowled at her, shook her head. "Don't start with me." Ice shuffled the papers on the table, her hands busy in search for the Lifestyle section that seemed to be missing. When she finally grabbed hold of it, she screamed in triumph. She knew that the world could never be as cruel as forgetting to insert her favorite department.

She skimmed it through, afraid to look at Fire's hypnotizing, sea-foam eyes. "The prospect of inevitable old age I can't handle. But," she cursed when she saw her glass empty, banged it on the table. "My friend's deviating love life I can. What's up?"

Fire's smile vanished and an unflattering, capsized arc replaced her beautiful grin. "Nothing," she lied.

"Okay. It's obviously skyrocketing, huh? Seeing how your eyes glaze over since the other night's _Gasp!_ Moment. And the fact that you're searching for his missing self is just so romantic. Yeah…" Ice said sardonically. "You're at the heat of that stage, aren't you? I'm just thrilled! Yey, Flash!"

Fire slammed her hands on the table, glowered at Ice's cold façade. "You think you're so smart, don't you? You think you know everything about me, don't you? Well, know what? You don't." She stood up. "You're pretentious, pompous, _cold,_ and egocentric. I don't even know why I bother to think that you care about my feelings."

Fire strode to the door but Ice interrupted her. "Wow. Our recommenced quarrel long after college that involves a boy, I didn't know you still cared." Ice theatrically rested her hand on her chest. But she hardened when she heard Fire scoff under her breath. "Maybe I am a pretentious, pompous, hard-ass bitch. But that doesn't make me ignorant about you, Bea. You're my friend, and I really do care." She approached Fire and held her friend's hands in hers. "The only thing that frustrates me is the obvious fact that you can't deal with Flash. I mean," she stopped when Fire pulled her hands away from Ice's grasp. "Have you ever considered of… ill-fated love?"

Ice could see fire burning in Bea's eyes and she had to continue before Bea could stage the rash initiative to roast Ice dead-on. "You know it, you remember it. When you tried to make a move when Flash's female friend came by, he zonked out before you made any progress. What does that tell you?"

Fire stubbornly titled her chin up in defiance to listen, said, "Your advice stinks."

Ice stifled a laugh. "It worked in college. I had men crawling to me when they had the spare time to do some foreplay…"

Fire lightened up when she remembered the old days. "Yeah. The guy Mitch practically kicked me out of the room so he could screw you. He was a cutie."

They shared a hearty laugh. "I missed those days," Fire said.

But Ice turned and shook her head. "I don't."

Guilt-stricken that her words brought the past's pang into Ice's core, she vigorously shook her head to erase the anger fueled by the travesty of her pseudo-relationship with Flash. "Oh, Honey, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to… I'm so sorry." She hugged her friend when Ice refused to face her. "Boys are such jerks, aren't they? Yeah, they are. I'm so sorry."

"You don't have to feel sorry for me. What happened in the past can never hurt me now," her voice cracked as she exhaled those last words. But she didn't move as Fire tightened her hold around her. She smiled, patted Fire's arm choking her neck. "You don't have to force yourself to hate having relationships with guys. That's just me… and Flash is a nice guy."

Fire leaned her chin on Ice's shoulder. She was silent. Maybe Ice was right about ill-fated love and men. In retrospect, she had many boyfriends in the past but none cared more than ogling her breasts and butt. Unlike Ice, who was always there when she needed her, always there when she needed a shoulder to rest or cry on, and Ice's annoying yet cathartic sarcasm usually made her laugh when she was either fiery angry or depressed. Ice had been there when she ran straight home in their shared apartment from Wally's place. She fully remembered Ice stroking her hair to soothe her embarrassed wails, not to mention that Ice even insisted on sleeping next to her when she felt lonely and useless. Ice even brewed her fresh coffee and cooked bacon and eggs for her the next morning.

She buried her face in Ice's relaxed shoulder. "You've always been there for me. I'm sorry if I'd nearly forgotten…"

"But you hadn't." Ice turned to cup Fire's face in hers. "You hadn't."

They climbed into bed and were warmed when their hugs were unrelenting and their kisses soft and unadulterated. They slept in each other's arms, uncaring to what others may think, uncaring to how the past may have saddened them, uncaring to their present surroundings. All they loved and cared about were each other.

Ice kissed the top of Fire's head. "What's up?"

Fire stared into Ice's eyes. "Destiny."

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_(The Third Trial: Ruler of the Sea)_

_The ache in his wrists and legs pounded painfully, as if his wounded veins spawned another life of its own. The more forceful his arms allowed him to oar his way along the dirty waters' current, the more involuntary tears spilled and blended smoothly with the quiet river. _

_He breathed in deeply from his artificial oxygen, and knew that his time was limited in an hour or less. He had to swim fast before his Breathing Apparatus lost enough oxygen to sustain him through the remainder of Hades' damned castle and towards Poseidon's aqueous domain. Exhaling long enough to see that his bandages were loosening and his open skin began to sip water, he tightened his cloak around his bleeding wounds. _

_Continuing his journey down the extension of Lethe, which was spookily vacated and silent, he suddenly noticed thin, oily figures snapping at his heels. He peered behind him and his eyes widened when serpents were undulating after him… damn fast. _

_Pushing harder and ignoring the mind-numbing pain tightening around his arms, he abruptly stopped when a serpent dove at him from the side. Kicking his buoyant weight to his left, which was snake-free as of the moment, he kicked an open jaw as it almost stapled its teeth on his arm. _

_Staggering in the misty water, he could see yellowish, syrupy liquid forming at the tips of the serpents' fangs. He swung his Batarang in the direction of five serpents coming at him. Score! Blood blurred his vision and beheaded bodies quivered when it lifelessly drifted down the river's crevasse below. _

_That distracted them a bit. He began to push his arms and feet upward when he was suddenly pulled down a powerful stream that refused him to struggle against nature's direction. Like sliding down a tunnel of jetting water, he slid along its winding ride. A sharp turn to the left, he braced himself; a downward slope, butterflies flapped its wings in his nauseated stomach; humps bruised his butt; but he praised God out loud when the tunnel ride ended in a brook that reached a little above his ankles. _

_He let out a breath, rubbed his sickened stomach, and reached for his Batarang but was too late to strike. Spears precariously poked his neck and defensive arm. He slowly held up his hands in surrender as his head began to spin. Not again. _

_He heard a brusque tone barking at him, demanding his intrusion to their palace. Palace? His eyes roamed to his left, saw soldiers garbed in golden armor and helmets. He met them before, but when? Where? He felt like vomiting. The burly man with a scar across the bridge of his nose barked at him again, as if ready to eat him whole. Batman ignored him. _

_He hardly sustained his surprise when he heard a voice so familiar that he nearly let his tired arms fall to his sides when he saw a short-term hero look at him questioningly from the crowd of guards. He barely looked up when an arm supported his collapsed shoulders. _

"_Batman? What are you doing here? Gawd, you look like you've been through hell." _

"_Was. Been a long time, Aquaman."_

"_Damn right." He berated the guards for staring. "Let's go inside. You're bleeding." _

"_I should've brought more flowers to Persephone. She sent me here. She knew you'd help me…" Batman's voice was all but an inaudible drawl but Aquaman heard him clearly. _

"_Persephone's a good friend. C'mon, just a little more 'till you can faint freely on one of our beds. Bat—" _

"_She gave me a ring…" Aquaman's next words didn't reach the heavy darkness Batman fell into. _

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_Bruce grimaced at the bowl of seaweed gruel pushed in front of him. His barf looked tastier than what was set in front of him. He spooned it but dropped the gold-enameled utensil when he took a sharp whiff from it. Disgusting. _

_Aquaman frowned at him. "It tastes better than what you land-lovers might think of it." He stuffed his mouth with it. Batman caved in and shoved a spoon of it into his mouth. _

"_Tastes like creamed bitter melon." Batman pushed the bowl to Aquaman. "I'll risk developing ulcer. Boiled seawater is good enough for me, thanks." _

"_It's no wonder land-lovers succumb to numerous diseases we sea-dwellers have never even heard of throughout our long existence in our shared, blue world. Breed like yours' sickly." Aquaman gulped down more vomit down his throat. Batman felt like puking on his lap just by watching Aquaman eat. The greenish goo that was claimed to be a delicacy among sea royalty looked more like it had been chewed, swallowed, and spat out countless times before it was ready to be served. _

_He sipped the water, felt his tension unraveling down his neck and shoulders, and he smiled. Just a tiny crack. But Aquaman noticed the crack in his lips. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're smiling. I'm horrified. What did Persephone do to you in the Underworld?" _

"_Long story." Batman pulled on his blank stare. "Know Hades?"_

"_Hell, yes. The guy is a pain in the shark's ass. How are your wounds?" _

_Batman flexed his treated wrists. "Better. And Poseidon?"_

"_Great, great, great grandfather of mine." Aquaman belched and sipped his saltwater. Batman asphyxiated a snort. "Excuse me. Though we never get along, he's a magnificent ruler. We've had our share of disputes but it never ended worse than his endless brawl with Hades. They hate each other. And if I heard you correctly, you have Hades' ring?" _

_Batman dug it out from his pocket, held it between forefinger and thumb for Aquaman to study it. "Yes. What's it for?"_

"_It's Hades' ring of invisibility. Put it on, you'll disappear in a snap." Aquaman rose, walked to the door, and exchanged a few censures with a servant who interrupted them with a soft knock. He closed the door, sat across from Batman. "Hades will be in a state of uproar if he finds it gone. So, to save Persephone the humiliation and wrath of Hades' inexorable rage against her, you have to get moving."_

_Batman asked, "So what do I have to do to appease Hades' inevitable rage?" _

_Aquaman averted his eyes from Batman. "Poseidon and Hades are waging war now. The sharks and sea serpents are on Hades' lineup. Damn renegades they are. But the dolphins and many others will never digress from their master. However, we're still unsure how many have joined Hades' ruthless league in the past three weeks. So you have to be extra careful." Aquaman tugged at a rope dangling beside the huge bed. Few seconds later a row of scantily dressed servants ready to fall on the floor due to the weariness bagged under their eyes entered the chamber. "Get ready the dolphins, assign three of my best chevaliers to accompany a friend of mine to the boundaries of Poseidon's kingdom." When they seemed to be waiting for more upbraiding, Aquaman yelled, "Go!" _

_When they stumbled out the door, he bellowed one servant to come back. "You." He gestured to Batman to hand him the Breathing Apparatus. "Fill this with oxygen. And pack two more on the fastest dolphin." He pointed at Batman when the servant was looking uncertainly in Batman's direction. _

"_I'll be riding alone. Tell the chevaliers their services aren't compulsory," Batman interjected the servant's exit. The servant stopped, nervously sought clarification from Aquaman. Aquaman nodded the servant to ignore it. But Batman was relentless. _

"_I said it's not needed. I'll prefer traveling alone." He gazed at Aquaman's stony frown. "Just give me the directions, I'll be fine. I need to do this alone. Trust me on this one."_

_After a few minutes of staring into Batman's narrowing gaze, Aquaman barked at the servant. "What are you waiting for! You want me to kick you out the room? Inform the chevaliers they can sleep easy until their assistance is befitted to more pressing matters. On the other hand, gear up Alana. Go!" _

_The servant leapt to the air and ran off. _

"_Harsh," Batman commended. _

"_Clemency will get you nowhere. You have to show them who's boss, who's king." Aquaman huffed out a breath. "I'm doing a good job at it." _

"_I bet." Batman massaged his wrists. "So, where am I bound to?" He adjusted his utility belt and cowl. _

"_Alana is my dolphin. She knows her way to Poseidon's palace. But, Hades' underwater monsters and traitorous minions would be hiding somewhere along the path. I would have felt better if you're not going alone." Aquaman paused to catch his breath. "It's a long way to Poseidon's place. In the center of the world. Mine is under the Western Coast. But don't worry," he added when he noticed Batman checking his watch frequently for the past hour since he woke up from his fainting episode._

"_Alana's my dolphin," he repeated. "She's as fast as your land-lover cheerah." _

"_Cheetah," Batman corrected him. "And the ring?"_

"_Wear it, you'll be safe. You can use the element of surprise on the enemy."_

"_If it's so important to Hades, why'd he leave it behind?"_

"_Because it's his treasure. He rarely brings it to battle for fear that if he loses, his adversary would steal it. And Poseidon can sense his presence—invisible or not. He's a god, you can't expect the ruler of the unadulterated sea to be weaker than the ultimate epitome of deceit and immorality. But that's how the reason goes for me anyway. Lame if you question me. Big coward that Hades is." Aquaman cleared his throat. "Give it to Poseidon, they'll bargain for freedom. Well, that's Poseidon's plan anyway. As much as he wants to end the war now, he can't because the lives of his people and animals are teetering on the tightrope of doom if he considers to retreat and wave the white flag. Losing is not an option for Poseidon. No less for Hades. So to finish it all, Poseidon needs the ring to bring Hades to his knees. And seeing my emblem impressed on Alana's saddle wouldn't bring doubt to Poseidon's mind that you're an ally." _

_They turned to a servant at the door. "The ride is ready, Your Highness." _

_Aquaman gripped Batman's shoulder. "Be careful."_

"_You don't have to remind me twice."_

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_Alana struggled with whining protests against the rough, scaly hands pulling her to their camp. Three of Hades' marine devils sneered and spat as Alana flipped its tail against their horrid faces. They grabbed her flippers harshly when she slapped one of them, pulled her flippers and tail until her rubbery skin gashed, and when Alana could fight no more, they dragged her to the cavern where troops of nasty-looking sea creatures parked. _

_Batman pained to watch Alana being tortured from the shelter of a rock. He held up his hands but saw nothing. Making sure that the ring was working its magic, he swam after the thugs who wounded Alana, and out of sheer fury, knocked them out with continuous, hard blows in the head. Although his strength was tweaked to the highest degree, his punches were slow and lightweight underwater. And though it took too long than necessary, he was able to savor the moment of watching them stumble and scream in horror when invisible punches banged them lifeless. _

_His Batarang, smoke capsules, tear-gas pellets, explosive grenades were useless in water. It would have just floated by them, utterly harmless to any monstrosity coming their way. But the ring was the absolute alterative, and so were his brass knuckles. So, he slipped the heavy metal into his hands and guided Alana behind the rock where he had hidden and watched. _

_He gingerly rubbed the ointment Aquaman gave him in case his wounds reopened on Alana's elastic skin. Sensing his light touch, Alana calmed and seemed thankful enough that an imperceptible hand was caring for her. She squeaked gratefully and jiggled her body awake. Batman could see that her wounds were crusting. He glanced at the tube of liniment and pondered—he should ask for more if he had the time—and nimbly straddled Alana's back._

_As they set off, his head and shoulders were crouched low to increase Alana's momentum forward. Batman sighed, tapped at his watch. Two hours and thirty-six minutes had already passed. _

_Alana had sensed trouble when they had been halfway through and nearing destination, so Batman curbed her by pulling over at a yard's length from an edge of a deep abyss. Somehow, he had known that Hades' base was set in there. And thankfully the big man himself didn't see them pre-intruding. But his ugly minions had seen Alana and had thought it wise to flaunt her to their master. But Batman didn't let them. _

_So now, they were back on track and he patted Alana's scarred but healing back. Alana squeaked and 'ecked' but didn't falter or slow down. He had to thank Aquaman for risking his ride in a dangerous mission such as the present. _

_He glanced at the ground ahead as they whipped by. A harlequin aspect of a world beneath what the human eye could never live or see in all his life. Myriad shapes, sizes, and colors of coral reefs sprouted out of the soil, its positions scrappily generated yet it brought so much brightness and life into the tranquility of the sea. Schools of fishes whisked past him, a herd of sea turtles sailed away from him, the occasional prey being eaten by a camouflaged fish proved that life was simpler but fascinating in this brilliantly blue world._

_If Batman arrived at Poseidon's doorstep without a scratch, he could at least give helpful info and grid of where Hades' bubble-wrapped camp stood._

_So far, everything was progressing as planned. So far. _

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"_Brother, Brother, Brother," Hades circled Poseidon, his dark eyes sneeringly scrutinizing the Ruler of the Sea from head to foot. "You belittle me so. You know I could never leave things as spineless as withdrawing my army. We've hated each other since we've ruled our own worlds. What makes you so sure of yourself you can intimidate me?" _

_Poseidon's trident was aimed at Hades' throat. "I swear by Zeus' thunderbolt I'll defeat you. I'll bring you and your army to the ground before you can spit fire at me. I will humiliate you and you will do nothing but haul your ass out of my grounds with your tail tucked between your legs!" _

"_Tsk, tsk, tsk. If only I had a tail to tuck between my legs, that would be hard to imagine," Hades said, irony coating his jaded response. He adjusted his cloak, pulled back his hair, and sneered. "Well then, the 'solicited' meeting is adjourned, I believe. I must go now to prepare my armaments. I'll see you later," he turned, pointed at his livid-faced brother. "In the battlefield." _

_Poseidon threw his trident at the door, right after Hades closed it behind him. He clenched his fists, afraid that his anger might overwhelm him to the extent that he'd do something unthinkable and reckless. He had no time to be rash or stupid. He had to think of something, something that would give him the upper hand against Hades. But what? What? Dammit! _

_A knock disrupted his thoughts. He asked, "What?"_

_A guard asked through the closed door, "There is someone to see you, Sire."_

"_I don't have time for nonsense. I have a war…"_

_The guard bravely opened the door by a chink's measure. "He says he might have something you may deem crucial against Hades' cause."_

_Poseidon looked up, his light-blue eyes focused on the guard's tentative approach. "Well?"_

"_Sire?"_

"_Where is he?"_

"_He—uh…"_

"_Bring him in here, you blundering idiot!" _

"_Yes, Sire!" _

_But before the guard closed the door, Hades' angry bellow reverberated the whole palace. Enraged and puzzled, Poseidon walked to the door, plucked his trident from its current pose, and ordered the guard to go ahead. Even in his fortress of serenity, as long as his brother was nearby, there was no peace. He combed his long, white beard with his fingers and blew out a sigh. _

'_Zeus help me.'_

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_Batman scrambled out of the line of fire. He swore shamelessly when Hades saw him and spewed fire in Batman's direction. Batman ducked, swung his Batarang at Hades. Hades blocked it with his armored arm and roasted a few more guards who tried to stop him. _

_Batman darted to the door but the ceiling's beam dropped in front of him, impairing his escape route out the door. Unscathed, Hades strode to him, anger and conceit etched in his face. _

"_How dare you show your face in front of me! You! How dare you hurt my daughter!" Hades unsheathed his sword and charged at the Batman. _

_Smoke rose, prompting Batman to choke and burn. Water! They were in a palace hidden in the depths of the sea and fire was consuming a fourth portion of the citadel. Irony was a bitch. Really. _

_He dodged Hades' angry strike and had to drop his tear-gas pellets on the ground. When Hades coughed and gagged and sniffed and shrieked in unimaginable fury, Batman concealed his face with his cloak and ran through the fire that incinerated the doorway. _

_He stumbled forward, dropped and rolled to the ground when fire licked his cowl. As soon as he stood up, a trident was ready to make a hole in his neck. He rolled his eyes, but Poseidon didn't see the frustration in Batman's eyes. _

"_Who are you?" The king demanded. _

"_I'm a friend of Aquaman. I come here to give you—" He slowly unearthed the ring from his pocket but before he could show it to Poseidon, Hades stormed out of the door. His face was red with anger and heat from the fire, his eyes wet from the tear-gas Batman threw at him. _

"_He's mine! Get away from him, Poseidon! Just point that trident somewhere else! I shall slay him!" _

_Poseidon abruptly aimed the trident at Hades. "You're right. I should point my weapon somewhere else." _

_Hades crackled in cocky laughter. It sounded more like he was croaking from stroke. His face was a grotesque sneer and Batman had to step back. He stood next to Poseidon and slipped the ring in Poseidon's pocket. Poseidon felt it and nodded. _

_Poseidon took a step closer to Hades. "You're in my territory now, Hades. Don't make me slay you." Guards cornered Hades' every possible route of escape. Spears, swords, shields made a fence around the god of wealth. But Hades just sneered and shook his head. "Brother, we're of the same creator and that—that mortal is made of withering flesh and blood. It's rather ludicrous of you to trust some 'thing' of defective status. Mortals are a liability to us." _

"_Oh really, dear Brother?" Poseidon held the ring in the light, and Hades' jaw dropped in disbelief. "You're right. They're a liability… to you. Now… about your army. I hear it's somewhere near the Turtle Passage. In a deep crevice, maybe?"_

_Hades' mouth opened and closed, as if gasping for breath. He turned his eyes to where Batman had once stood. But he was gone now. _

"_You let him get away!"_

_Poseidon turned, and feigned careless surprise. "Ooops. My mistake. Guards!" He pointed at Hades. "Take him away!"_

"_Not when I have something to hope for!" He vanished in a column of fire, a move Poseidon anticipated but he let it go. He held the ring in his hand and shook his head at his apprehensive soldiers. "Let him go. We bear something of greater value to him… for now." _

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"Too tight?" Hermes asked when Batman winced.

Batman nodded his head. "The wound's a killer."

Hermes loosened the bandage a bit. "You left Hades in a state of uproarious rage. I'm not visiting the Underworld for a while then." His face suddenly sagged in worry and pity. "Poor Persephone. If only… if only gods weren't bound to their oaths, I would have flown to her right now."

Batman commiserated with him. "It's my fault."

Hermes smiled. "She would have slapped you if you'd wallow in guilt for what had transpired." Hermes applied more cool ointment on the gash. "She doesn't love him."

"Who does?"

Hermes smirked. "His own mother's even ashamed of him."

Batman checked the watch for what seemed to be the nth time in the past hour. "I think that would do for now."

Hermes clasped the knot a second time and helped Batman up. He shifted a little, steadied himself when he nearly fell on the sandy floor. Hermes smacked his back when he looked ready and alert for the last test. "Good luck with Apollo. He's a tough one."

"So I hear." Batman flinched when his leg shot pain through his leg upward. "Where's the trial?"

"Right here." A man of statuesque build materialized in front of them. He looked exactly like Artemis, only he was taller and sported short, wavy hair. How can gods have small nostrils and breathe normally? It's rather uncanny.

"Wits and dexterity are redundant in my course. But the truth that lies beneath your heart is what I want."

Batman stared at him. "Then let's get started. Time is gold in my world."

Apollo gave him a lopsided grin. "It is."

White light enveloped them, and Batman had to close his eyes before it blinded him. When Apollo told him to open his eyes, Batman felt his heart slide down his intestines when Diana stood in front of him.

"Took you long enough, Bruce."

"I had some trouble getting to you."

Diana smiled. "Women are so hard to deal with, aren't they?"

Batman shook his head good-humoredly. "Yeah, yeah. They are."

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_To be continued…_

_So. What d'ya think?_

Author's note: To those who feel the dire need to burn or skin me, I'm sorry to say that I don't feel guilty about turning Fire and Ice into lesbians. Since the poll states that Flash/ Linda deserve to be together, I think it's fair that I go with the majority. I'm sorry if others may feel disappointed and mad, but it's my choice, no? ;)


	13. End of the road: what is my future?

**Lavender Gaia: Thank you for constantly supporting me, putting up with my long intermissions before I can update. I think I should worship you than the other way around. Also, thanks for the Fire/ Ice suggestion. I wouldn't have wrote about it if it weren't for you. Thanks. **

**ccabello: Even if it wasn't much, your support helps me. **

**alittlesummerwine: Thank Lavender Gaia for the sudden Fire/ Ice pair. She's cool.**

**CatGirl R and S fan: Thank you, thank you for waiting so long. Hope this is rewarding enough. :P**

**oneredneckgoddess: My friend, thank you for all the suggestions and encouragements you've said to me. I'll return the favor… soon. ;)**

**SarahC4321: Thank you for the wonderful review!**

**klutzyspaz: Aw… you don't really mean that, do you? Thanks so much!**

**Enjoy!**

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She wistfully turned away from him, a sigh escaping her lips. "I apologize for the toilsome circumstances you've had to go through." She approached him. "You could have been less insufferable if you only tried."

"I try, but being insufferable is who I am, Diana," Bruce answered her quietly. "You have to understand that this is what I've chosen. The Batman is my life, he's me. I can't change because you simply want me to. It doesn't work that way. I don't work that way. That's what I've been meaning to tell you, but my temper got the better of me that night." He closed his eyes to relax his strained eyelids. The white light was overpowering his eyesight and he wondered how Diana could bear it. On second thought, she was a being of mystical origins. It was no surprise if she didn't blink every three seconds.

Diana wearily shook her head. "Okay, I get that. But," she touched his arm, her eyes misting over. "Are you willing to push me away, Bruce? Do you wish to forget the people who've cared and loved you? Like… your mother and father?"

Bruce stepped back, muttered, "I've never forgotten about them. I don't even understand how they ended up in Lethe." He rubbed his stiff shoulders, felt like it weighed a ton all of a sudden. "Looking into a gun barrel at gunpoint or beating the crap out of the Joker has constantly reminded me of… the same night my parents were killed." He turned away from her. "Yet, it could be an illusion to trick my mind."

"What are you saying?"

Still not facing her, Bruce said, "Persephone could have staged the whole thing. A couple of souls could have easily impersonated them."

Diana touched his shoulder. "Honestly, could a tormented soul touch your cheek as how your mother always did before you went to bed? Could a forgotten, remarkable actor of a ghost flash a kilowatt smile at you? Tell me, Bruce. Could a couple of souls act so much like your parents?"

Bruce sharply turned to her. How could she have known about his mother caressing his cheek before he went to bed? Bearing in mind that small hitch, he said, "Cupid mentioned that the Orb of Apathy is transmissible through skin contact. Last I heard, Donna pulled it away with her bare hands. She doesn't have any protection against it."

Diana smiled. "Always digressing from the subject when tough questions are bounded at you." She shook her head. "Cupid sprinkled protective dust on her before we were sent to earth. All gods have that. It is like their vitamin supplement against the dangers of their own creation."

"Flash didn't have protection. That was why Cupid had to stop you from reaching me. He must have missed that detail," Diana interrupted him as if she already knew his next question. Bruce arched his brow.

"You're not Diana," Bruce said, stepping back.

The Diana-copycat grinned. "You are bright. What gave me away?"

She morphed into Apollo. Bruce scowled. "You know too much."

"That's who I am. I'm the God of Truth. I should know better," Apollo brushed a wisp of stubborn hair from his forehead. "I told you I want the truth. But you're failing miserably."

"I care for her, I know I'm not lying about that."

"Not good enough."

"She means so much to me, I can't jeopardize her life as well."

"She's smarter than Hades, braver than Cupid, has a heart of gold as Persephone. You're not captious enough. Try harder. This time, with more feeling,"

"This isn't ballet class."

"Of course not. This is where Diana's life is dependent on. Should I fail you now? I could. This test is getting old anyway."

Bruce growled at him. "I… love her. But it would only complicate things."

"Really? How so?"

"Don't play dumb with me. You already know how it's going down."

"How rude. All right," Apollo waved his hand, and a wisp of smoke rose from the floor. "Come here, and I'll show you your future."

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_JLU's Season two: The Epilogue_

"_And yet my dad wound up murdered," he dropped on the cushioned chair, his eyebrows furrowed in silent frustration. Just like his old man. "Anyway, don't you get it? No matter what you did or didn't do, I was gonna end up as Bruce's carbon copy. It's fate." _

_Amanda Waller approached the annoyed, young man. "You know, the Lord's been a great comfort to me all these years. Try not to look so surprised. Yeah, I've got a lot to answer for when I meet him, but I'd like to believe that for all the harm I've caused, I've also done some good. Maybe the angels need a sharp sword too." She touched his shoulder. "Like the good book says, He moves in mysterious ways. His plan is a mystery but here's what isn't." _

_Terry McGinnis leaned his elbows on his knees. "He gave us free will," Amanda Waller continued. "We choose our own fate, for good or ill. I've known Bruce Wayne for over fifty years and I've been keeping an eye on you my whole life. You are not Bruce's clone. You are his son. There are similarities, but more than a few differences. You don't quite have his magnificent brain, for instance. You do have his heart though. And for all that fierce exterior, I've never met anyone who cared as deeply for his fellow men as Bruce Wayne, except maybe you."_

_She started limping away from him. "You want to have a little better than your old man's? Take care of the people you care about… or don't." _

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"I'm quite surprised to see Amanda Waller vouching for me by injecting my DNA into an unsuspecting individual so my _legacy_ will continue. It's uncanny. And your innuendo is what exactly?" Bruce stepped out of the column of smoke where he had seen his predestined old life.

He could feel himself shuddering, his nape's hair standing on end. _Dammit_. Seeing his senior self all wrinkled, spotty, and too weak to uncap a medication bottle gave him the chills. Hermes was wrong; Apollo wasn't tough. He was a sadist.

"You've seen a clip of the future. And you made a major cut in the scene just a minute ago. Don't tell me you don't understand my innuendo here. Amanda Waller even spelled it out loud. Want me to rewind it again for you then?"

Bruce scowled at him. "Fiction or not, I hate movies. Or TV." Bruce pinched the bridge of his nose. He could feel a migraine shooting up his forehead and spreading to the back of his head. He hasn't hit fifty yet and he felt like he needed medication already. He cursed silently, looked up. "If I choose the other way, if I choose… Diana, wouldn't the future be wrecked?"

"Not wrecked exactly. More like… a change of direction. It's like taking another route to your destination. If you choose the normal route, and hear that traffic's clogging your way, would you follow the usual avenue or take another way? It really depends. Life is just the same. Mortals' will, free will; your decisions aren't tangled up in fate. You're manning the wheel; the paths in front of you are your choices; the journey is your life; and the terminus is your future, a product of what you've chosen. Take your pick, Bruce. Your move is next."

Bruce pursed his lips. "Before I detour my way out of here, how'd my parents end up in Lethe?"

"Finally, he asks for directions. A first." Apollo waved his hand and an armchair materialized behind him. He sat in it, offered an empty one for Bruce. As usual, Bruce declined it. "Yes, the night of the murder forever haunts you. And your love for them is boundless to the point that you channel it through justice and overwhelming detective work. But then, when a person starts emanating love for you, and butterflies begin to flutter in your stomach, what do you do?"

He waited for Bruce to answer, but the Batman kept silent.

"You hide, you crawl into your Batcave, or in your humanly manner, you abruptly end a possible relationship before it even starts. You don't want to love, and love is the root of your existence and upbringing. Are you willing to lose it?"

"What does this have to do with my parents?"

"A parent's dream is to wish happiness for his or her child. Tell me, and be frank, are you happy with your current life? Seeing yourself sixty years from now, are you thrilled about your future? Please tell me, and the truth will set you and Diana free. Unless… you turn the other way."

"I still don't see why they ended up in Lethe," Bruce stubbornly said.

"They seemed different, more luminous than the others." Apollo smiled lightly. "You honor them, you love them. But you force yourself to forget the years before that fateful night happened. You killed the boy they loved and made. I wonder if he really is far gone, or maybe just struggling with the Batman inside?"

Bruce didn't answer him.

"The road is constructed right in front of you. Where will you go, Bruce?"

Bruce closed his eyes, willed his mind to turn blank. What will it be? Where should he turn to? _My life, my choice, my future._

After what seemed like an eternity, Bruce opened his eyes, stared into Apollo's intelligent, green eyes. And he answered the most-awaited answer that had everybody from above nearly falling off their seats. It was his life, his choice, his future.

He would forget what he saw in his probable future, but the image of his parents sacrificing their lives for him, loving him, singing to him, smiling at him, kissing and hugging him, scolding him… the past reminded and taunted him. The past made him for who he was now. He was, and always be, the Batman.

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"Come any closer… _Achoo!_... I'll pull the trigger," Helena blew her nose into the tissue while precariously holding up the heavy crossbow.

Q ignored her _chilling_ threat and approached the bed with a bowl of soup. "Eat some. It'll help."

Helena ignored him, turned her back to him, crashed her head on the pillow. "Leave. I want to be alone."

He placed the bowl on the bedside table, plucked litters of soggy tissue from the bed and dropped them in a trashcan next to the table. "You shouldn't have visited Dinah. The flu is as contagious as contracting malaria from a bucket of water. And that's no conspiracy."

"I doubt that."

"Mosquitoes breed in water."

"Shut up, Q. Just shut the hell up."

Q walked out of the room with the trashcan in hand, and returned a minute later with a glass of water and tablets. He brought it next to the soup.

"Might as well take some medicine if you'd rather starve yourself."

Helena ignored him.

Q checked his watch. "I have to go. I'll see you later."

She didn't make the slightest budge.

Before stepping out of the humid bedroom, he said, "Sorry about the other night." And left.

Helena sighed and sat up. She smelled the soup he'd brought for her and tasted it. Not bad. She blew her nose, grimaced when mucus slimed her fingers. Nevertheless, she grinned.

_Thanks, Babydoll. _

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Ollie slung his suit on the floor, let his shoe hit the wall when he kicked it off his foot, and hurtled his spinning head on the pillow. That was the last time he drank three shots of vodka. For a rich, tough guy, drinking wasn't his brightest agenda when downing his sorrow in a promiscuous bar was the assumed absolution from his relationship woes.

He sighed, turned to his side when he heard a knock on the door. He compelled his body to move but it was just as stubborn as Dinah. Crap, her again. Go away! Vodka was supposed to get rid of her tonight. Instead, it came back to haunt him, head-on. Damn!

_In the name of God, I rebuke you! _He didn't know how he ended up unlocking the door, but the sight of Dinah in his doorstep made him dizzier by the second. He groaned when dots sprung in his vision and he barely moved when he found himself lying in his bed again.

Moments later he felt warm compress being laid on his forehead. He squinted his eyes open, and moaned. Dinah tenderly brushed his locks aside, her gesture unusually gentle and loving.

"You do know that your system is punishing you for drinking again."

"My weakness is so lame. Have you told anybody yet?"

"It's our little secret… for now." She laughed when he hoarsely chuckled. "You sound like a scratched record. I can't believe you drink like a girl."

"I don't drink like a girl. My body's as fragile as a butterfly when alcohol is involved."

"So like a girl."

"Okay, tough bird, my logical side is slightly awake. So before I completely pass out on you, I know you're not here to dump me all because I drink like a girl. What are you here for?"

"This." She kissed his intoxicated lips, unbuckled his belt. "I've missed you." She nibbled his earlobe and she felt him tense up when she ran her hands down his chest.

"You're keeping me awake…"

"Uh-huh…"

"So I'd apologize first, huh?"

"Maybe…"

"Since it looks like I'll be rewarded generously, I'd say, 'I'm sorry about acting like a self-righteous jerk to you.'"

"Mmm…"

"Okay. Rich, pretentious, self-righteous jerk."

"And I'm sorry for losing my temper…" Dinah murmured while grazing his jaw lightly with her teeth.

"Hmmm…"

"And for being damn stubborn when you tried to apologize the other day," Dinah slid her pants down her legs. She kissed him again, but before she could unfasten her bra, he was already snoring.

She grinned, sighed. She adjusted his head on the pillow, pecked his forehead, and fell asleep beside him. At least he was the first to apologize and the night didn't end with bloody screams and fistfights, it was all good.

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Light streamed through the filter of leaves, and it barely stung his eyes when he looked up. Autumn was beginning to paint the leaves bright orange and yellow, and John closed his eyes when the reminiscent color fell on him like he didn't see enough orange in one day.

"Dinner at the Italian place?" He broke his reverie by smiling down at his girlfriend.

"Why not?" Mari wrapped her arm around John's brawny arm.

Walking down the park in the waning afternoon, a cry echoed the wide park. They rushed at where a boy's cry alerted them. Vixen approached a boy who was crying next to a bench—he seemed lost—and tried her best to calm him.

John watched the spectacle and thought of Shayera… and his future son, Rex. Vixen held the boy's hand, started to walk with him through the park in search for his mother. John helped.

Less than a mile away and three minutes later, a woman in her early thirties cried and darted to the boy. The mother smothered him with her kisses, and her son returned them with fierce hugs. After a series of continuous thank yous and tears, both mother and son left John and Mari basking in the low moonlight's beam.

Mari immediately held John's limp hand when they resumed their walk. "Looking for the mother and calming the boy suddenly stole my appetite. Why don't we decompress in your place?"

John didn't seem to hear her. "Yeah…"

"John?"

"Mmm?"

"You're spacing out on me again. What are you hiding from me?"

Blowing out a sigh, he faced her, said, "We need to talk." His future, Shayera's and Rex's depended on him now. He felt heavy at heart and mind, but he knew it was the right thing to do. He felt sorry when he had to disclose everything to Vixen.

But two things were certain for him now. One, he needed Advil right after 'The Talk'. And two, break-ups never were stress-relievers. Never, especially when Vixen gave him 'The Look'. Not good. Make that a whole bottle of Advil.

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He shyly knocked at the door, raked back his hair when he heard the bolt being unlatched. His smile turned grim when Ice answered the door.

But he swallowed his embarrassed exterior and greeted cheerily, "Uh… hi! Ice, right?"

"Right." Ice leaned her hip on the doorframe, her hand on the doorknob. "What do you want?"

"Just wondering if Fire's 'round…?"

Ice kicked open the door, said without turning as she walked into the kitchen at the left corner, "Fire's cleaning up in the bathroom. I'll go tell her that you're here." She peered over her shoulder, saw that he locked the door behind him. She switched off the oven, asked, "Want some turkey while I call her?"

"Uh, no… no… I'm stuffed. Thanks though." Wally scratched his nape uneasily when Ice left him. He thumbed through the bouquet of lilies he bought from the stand a block away from his apartment. He sighed. He was sure his wallet would be collecting dust for the next few weeks, and how can he, The Flash, revel the_ two_ women of his dreams when he was now bankrupt? He fumbled in his pocket for change. With the exception of three quarters and a nickel—he sure as hell wasn't residing anywhere near the yuppie standard.

But for a poverty-stricken superhero, he had actually witnessed and basked in Olympia's rich sun and wine. Yeah, life was looking good for the Flash. He wondered how Diana was coping with Bruce's many, untiring reasons now though. He left Dick and Donna when Fire tried contacting him through the League's line. He darted fast to the metropolis, showered, suited up, bought flowers, and here he was now.

Smelling good and ready to explain to Fire why he didn't leave a note on the fridge, he stiffened when Fire came out.

"Wally! You're here!" Fire hugged him (amiably) and accepted the flowers Wally humbly gave her. "Lilies! How lovely! Thank you."

No kiss, a friendly hug… Wally wasn't naïve to know that something was up.

"What's up?"

Fire blushed. "We need to talk."

Uh oh. Four dreaded words in the English language. "Shoot."

Fire turned her head slightly, and Ice came to her side, held Beatriz's hand. Wally's jaw fell to the floor.

"I'm sorry, Wally. But…"

Wally didn't even understand a single word she uttered as he gaped at the couple's heart-shaped eyes the whole time. He didn't even realize how Fire guiltily ushered him to the door, and how he currently ended up walking lifelessly along the damp sidewalk was a total mystery.

He was still dumbfounded when an Asian woman bumped into him.

A few cans of tuna and a bag of potato chips swam in a pool of rainwater. The lady in a trench coat cursed loudly and began picking them up, barely acknowledged Wally's presence when he handed her the tuna.

"I'm sorry," Wally apologized for the nth time. "I didn't… see…"

"'Course you didn't," Linda grimaced at the soaked bag of chips. "Eck. Just what I need. Soggy chips." She finally looked up, narrowed her eyes at him.

"You look awfully familiar…"

"Wally West… crime scene analyzer. How are you?" Flash held out a hand. He grinned, and the horror of what he'd seen in Fire's apartment was vague history.

Linda Park accepted it. "Ah, yes. Wally. Hello," Linda smiled at him. "You look blue tonight." She tilted her head upward. "Earlier's rain must have mirrored your recent sentiment."

"And you seem cheery about that."

"I love the rain. Sloughs off the pollution collecting in the air." She adjusted her purse, shook his still outstretched hand. "I have to go. I'll catch you later."

But Wally interrupted her. "Wanna grab something to eat before you transfer soggy chips into your thighs?" Coffee, maybe? Cake?"

Linda grinned. "Cake would still take residence in my thighs."

"Yeah… but they taste a lot better than soggy chips."

Linda thought about it. "Mmm…"

"Flash isn't here to scold you. Don't worry."

Linda's eyebrows shot up. "Sounds like you know him pretty well."

Wally blushed at the slip of words. But he ignored it. "You can say that… so," he offered his arm to her, took the soaked shopping bag from her. "I know this great coffee place if you don't want cake liquidating into your nice legs."

Linda laughed, teasingly slapped his arm. "I hope you're buying."

Wally's eyes widened. "About that…"

Linda feigned a frustrated sigh. "You owe me then." She wrapped an arm around his. "While you're at it, tell me about _him_."

Wally gave her a lopsided grin. "He's definitely a great guy, good-looking, and incredibly sharp."

"I'd say we're both fans."

Wally shrugged his shoulders in humble surrender. "Guilty. I'm mad about him. Like really loco-loco for the guy in red."

"He has a sexy ass, too."

Wally reddened, felt his blood boiling when Linda saw his expression. "My gawd… you resemble a cooked tomato."

"No… not really."

"You're right, more like the Flash's uniform."

Wally laughed. "Guess so." He opened the door for her, stepped into the ventilated place. "Uh… how much would I owe you?"

"Let's worry about that later." Linda stood behind a burly man, read the menu on the wall. "Or we could share a cake. That way you only owe me one date, and you're paying when that day comes."

Wally staggered behind her. "Date?"

Linda looked at him. "Unless you're gay and have a bf, I'd love to go on a date with you."

"With me?"

"Sure. The Flash is my heart's lover but waiting for him takes forever. I take it he's slow in that pitch. And…" Linda cleared her throat, mumbled, "You kinda remind me of him. Weird, huh?"

"Uh… I'd love to." Wally privately laughed to himself. "It's okay if I order for myself though."

Linda stared at him questioningly.

"I'll owe you two… three dates to make the score even."

The man behind the counter beckoned Linda to order soon since a long line was picking up fast. Linda nodded, winked at Wally.

"Okay."

"Okay," mimicked Wally, and he felt like he'd been better off here than anywhere else. Even Olympia couldn't have made his feet any lighter as that special night.

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"You're mad at me, aren't you?"

"Quite."

"They're not kids anymore, you know that."

"I don't see why you'd let them pilot my jet…"

"And me agreeing to carry you by the armpits as we fly our way back to Watchtower is no problem." She smiled. "As long as you don't sweat on me, I won't drop you."

He scowled up at her. "You don't get it."

"What?"

"Never mind."

"I'm hurting you?"

"I didn't say anything," he muttered.

She adjusted her hold on him, wrapped her arms around his chest. He stiffened when he felt her breasts stroking his back. Her soft lips occasionally nipped his ear and he felt his heart palpitating.

"You're making me feel worse."

"You whine too much."

"All because you're making it so difficult."

"Okay, if you don't quiet down, I swear I'll drop you."

He looked down at the calm sea below them. The image of the shark chasing after him a few hours ago raced through his head, prompted him to renege.

"How can I make it so difficult when you came at a bad time that evening?"

"Oh, so now it's my fault that I flew to Cupid for help, wore the orb, transformed into a deadly, psycho-Amazon, you risking your life to save me, and now, I'm holding you like a teddy bear as we make our way back to Justice League headquarters. You were the one who couldn't control the temper."

"And you were the one who allowed Dick and Donna to pilot my jet!"

"Raise your voice again, I swear in Hera's name that I'll drop you."

"Donna was supposed to stay to help defend Themyscira," he muttered.

"An Amazon princess can have a life too, you know." She momentarily leaned her chin on his shoulder. "I bet you saw the glint in their eyes."

Even without turning his head, she could feel his eyebrows knitting together. "Glint?" he asked rather harshly.

"Sure. 'The Glint'."

"Remind me to skin Wally the second we land on earth."

She chuckled. "They're nice together. They've known each other for ages, it's not hard to imagine them seeing one another as who they really are deep within. Besides, Wally wasn't my only source and instructor from whom I learned your world's slang. It could have been Ollie, Clark, and Wally, of course. John's no anomaly too."

"I wholly bet on Wally."

"You're severe to him."

"He deserves it."

A mutual, contended pause rested over them.

"Your mother ignored me. Still, I don't blame her."

She nodded. "Zeus was a little skeptic but he passed fair judgment. And Mother didn't object when she saw Apollo and Artemis gathering around you. She always trusted their opinions."

"Hardly a surprise. They're very admirable."

Diana grinned. "Yes. Yes, they are. Excluding the circumstances, you're no different."

"Doesn't cross out the fact that Cupid disappeared the moment you woke up. Apparently he didn't want to see us together."

"A habit of his." Diana pulled Bruce closer when the wind blew at them from the East. "Give him time, Mother too."

Bruce only nodded. They were soaring over Bludhaven when Bruce said, "Why don't we make a stopover before we contact Mr. Terrific to beam us up?"

"To where?"

"Wayne Manor."

Fairly surprised, Diana stared at him. "Why?"

"I hate to admit it but my head's killing me slowly, I haven't had decent food for the past ten hours, my body is aching, and I'd like to get some sleep before night shift begins. If you'd rather go up now, you could. I'd rather sleep now than be caught dead sleeping in my chair."

Diana hugged him tighter. "Since I slept for the most part of the day, I could catch on some gossip from Alfred, make some tea before Superman grills us for being absent the whole day." She grinned, whispered into his ear coquettishly, "Or, I could knead you to sleep."

Bruce smirked, tried not to smile. "Alfred might hyperventilate when he sees us together… in bed."

"Don't you lock your door?"

"Alfred has the key."

Diana laughed, kissed his cheek. "Or he could just leave us alone. Knowing Bruce Wayne, he must've seen a lot of women in your bed back then."

"He doesn't favor them as much as he does to you." Bruce strained to turn his head to look at her. "And I've always trusted Alfred's opinion."

They watched as the harlequin horizon began to sip the sun into temporary slumber. Diana gently dropped him in his room's balcony. Bruce pulled off his cowl, opened the door, and the warm air and aromatic odor of Alfred's cleaning detergent in the room relaxed him.

"We'll surprise Alfred later," Bruce slurred as he pulled Diana in a kiss.

"You never fail in that field," Diana replied quietly.

He was, and always be, the Batman. But a small voice constantly pestered him that a superhero couldn't just witness happiness but feel it sparking in him, crackling with passionate fire inside him, consuming his entire soul. Yes, he was the Batman and in love with an Amazon.

Was that so unusual? Perhaps. But he couldn't let that small voice, that little boy's voice go unnoticed. He couldn't kill Thomas and Martha Wayne's son because Bruce Wayne was who he really was deep inside. He would continue his legacy as Batman, his honor to his family, but he would also prolong the Wayne legacy, his love for them.

Diana caressed his cheek. A gesture so familiar. "I love you."

Bruce smiled. "Ditto."

Diana laughed, cocked her head to the side. "We'll have to work on that later on."

"Whatever you say, Princess."

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**The End.**

**Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed it, and I'm sorry if it took me a while to update it. Thank you once again to my readers and reviewers. I can't thank you enough for all the support and comments you've given me. Also, if you've read Little Hearts, Overflowing Drool, it's not really the sequel of this. So, there you have it. Thank you, and have a nice day, or evening, or afternoon whenever. **

**TC,**

**JL**


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